China is building a new military command centre near Beijing that is 10 times the size of the Pentagon, US intelligence officials have said.

Satellite images of the base, about 20 miles south-west of the Chinese capital, show a 1,500-acre construction site that experts suggest could house reinforced military bunkers to protect the country’s military top brass in the case of a nuclear war.

When complete, the facility – nicknamed “Beijing Military City” – is expected to dwarf the Pentagon, the US defence headquarters, which is known as the world’s largest office block.

The images, obtained by the Financial Times, suggest major construction of the project began in mid-2024, as the People’s Liberation Army gears up for its centenary in 2027.

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has repeatedly warned that he intends to annex Taiwan by then, posing a major threat to the US, which relies on Taipei for its supply of microchips.

Dennis Wilder, the former head of China analysis for the CIA, told the outlet that if verified, the new complex signals Beijing’s intention to develop its “advanced nuclear war-fighting capability”.