New Delhi: RecentThe Associated Press news agency reported that satellite images showed China built a replica of US Navy warships in the country’s northwestern desert.
According to the agency report, the mock-up was probably a way “China is preparing itself for a naval conflict with the US”.
The satellite images were captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies. Photos taken on Sunday show an outline of a US aircraft carrier.
The location from which the satellite captured the images was identified by Maxar as Ruoqiang, a Taklamakan Desert County in the northwestern Xinjiang region.
In a statement to Newsweek, Maxar Technologies said the images “detail the construction of a sophisticated weapons test range” in the desert, and that it “included several simulated US Navy Carrier Strike Group ships as targets”.
According to the US Naval Institute (USNI), an independent organization, the mock-up was a part of a new target range developed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The USNI further claimed that it identified features involved in the apparent target, including funnels and weapons systems.
Amid claims by Maxar Technologies and USNI, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he had no knowledge of the images. “I am not aware of the situation you have described,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the AP.
United States defense officials have said they are concerned about China’s intentions with regard to Taiwan, the AP reported. The report said that there has been an increase in the number of Chinese military flights to southwest Taiwan.
China claims the island nation of Taiwan as its own and threatens to annex it by force. The US has extended support to Taiwan and according to reports, the country has deployed military personnel in Taiwan.
.