China builds detailed Taiwan government district mockup for military drills

The mockup, which was built near the city of Alxa, in the sparsely populated northern part of China, roughly 999 km west of Beijing, looks very realistic - reports PAP, citing Business Insider. The Chinese creators of the mockup tried their best to accurately replicate the topography of Taiwan's capital. The mockup features structures resembling, among others, the Taipei presidential office and other government buildings, as well as a similar street layout. Based on satellite images, it was assessed that the mockup has existed since at least December 2022, but it's not clear when exactly it was constructed - emphasizes Business Insider.

Information about this object started circulating on social media at the beginning of this week. As added, this is not the first such case. Already in 2014-15, similar objects that also replicated the government district in Taipei and were erected in Zhurihe in Inner Mongolia were reported. This time, however, the mockup seems to be more detailed and likely located at a range where bombings and missile firings are practiced.

Business Insider noted that in China, the construction of other mockups representing American aircraft carriers and other naval vessels had been previously documented.

The communist authorities of the People's Republic of China consider democratically governed Taiwan to be an "inalienable" part of its territory and strive to take control of it, not excluding the possibility of using force. In the opinion of some analysts, such an attempt could occur within the next few years.

In November 2023, the then-President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, expressed the view that Chinese leaders are currently too overwhelmed by internal problems - both economic and financial, as well as political - to consider an invasion of Taiwan.

Source: PAP