China rapidly expands missile production network CNN investigation finds

China has carried out a large-scale expansion of facilities tied to missile production since 2020, significantly strengthening its capacity to deter the US military and project power across the region, according to a new CNN investigation based on satellite imagery, maps, and official documents.

The network’s analysis found that more than 60% of 136 sites associated with missile manufacturing or China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force — which oversees the nation’s nuclear arsenal — have undergone notable expansion in recent years.

The buildup, which includes factories, research centres, and testing facilities, has added more than 21 million square feet (over 2 million square meters) of new construction between early 2020 and late 2025. Satellite imagery shows new towers, bunkers, and berms characteristic of weapons development, and in some instances, even visible missile components.

CNN’s investigation identified 99 sites connected to missile production, of which 65 have expanded significantly — a development that experts say could exponentially increase China’s manufacturing capacity.

The analysis also reviewed 37 Rocket Force bases, finding that 22 had grown over the past five years.

To compile the findings, CNN examined publicly available data from China’s two largest state-owned defence conglomerates — the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) — and their numerous subsidiaries. These entities produce most of China’s conventional and nuclear missile systems.

By cross-referencing this information with satellite imagery and government notices, CNN was able to locate and verify more than a dozen previously unreported sites, revealing the scale and speed of China’s military-industrial expansion.

By Tamilla Hasanova