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China signals buildout of nuclear missile silos for ‘strategic trump cards’
CCTV documentary interview suggests the construction was for the DF-5 series of intercontinental ballistic missiles
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Liu ZhenPublished: 8:00pm, 31 Jul 2026China has given a rare acknowledgement that it has built more nuclear missile silos in recent years, with state television airing a documentary on the construction programme.
In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, Cui Daohu, an officer with a PLA Rocket Force engineering unit, described his contribution to building the missile positions that he called China’s “strategic trump cards”, saying the schedule was tight but had been completed on time.
“We build homes for missiles. Each position we complete means more trump-card weapons can be deployed and be combat ready … earlier,” he said in the documentary Securing Victory, part of CCTV’s programming for the 99th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Although Cui did not identify the type of missile involved, he said the team faced challenges erecting an extremely heavy core component and precisely assembling two large sections on site “without a tiny scratch”.
The description suggests they were probably building silos designed to launch the two-stage DF-5 series of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
“It falls to us to conquer the mountains and the deserts, ensuring that our country can play her ultimate strategic trump cards,” he said.
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