China Has Built a Replica of Taiwan’s Presidential Office to Practice Its Invasion

China is preparing for war, and we had better wake up to that fact.

Recent satellite imagery has revealed a mock-up of Taiwan’s Presidential Office within a military training compound in China’s Inner Mongolia. Initially brought to attention through a social media update on X (previously known as Twitter) and later confirmed through open source satellite images on the Sinergise’s Sentinel Hub platform, this mimicry showcases a meticulous recreation of the surroundings of Taiwan’s Presidential Office in Taipei. Located in the Alxa League of China, this project began construction in March 2021 and was finished by October of the same year.

Mock-up of #Taiwan‘s presidential palace in #Taipei built in #China to train in storming the palace.

Training site in Inner Mongolia is an exact replica of the road network near Taiwan’s Presidential Palace. pic.twitter.com/g2fJoFu5lX

— Indo-Pacific News – Geo-Politics & Defense (@IndoPac_Info) March 27, 2024

As part of the ongoing military enhancements spearheaded by Xi Jinping’s leadership, these developments have escalated apprehensions about China’s potential military aggression toward Taiwan by 2027. China’s assertion of Taiwan as part of its sovereignty has been a source of strained relations across the strait since 1949, following the rise of the Chinese Communist Party in mainland China.

The strategy of constructing replica facilities for military training by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is not unprecedented. In 2015, a military drill featuring PLA soldiers attacking a structure similar to the Taiwan Presidential Office was broadcast by state media at the Zhurihe Training Base in Inner Mongolia. Observers saw this maneuver as a tactic of psychological warfare intended to sway Taiwanese electoral outcomes by showcasing the PLA’s military prowess and objectives.

The geopolitical tension is further intensified by remarks from Admiral John Aquilino of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who reported to the U.S. Armed Services Committee regarding the PLA’s preparation for possible confrontations with Taiwan by 2027. Although Chinese authorities have voiced a preference for peaceful reunification, establishing such mock sites along with ongoing military expansion signals a willingness and planning to resort to coercive measures if necessary.

One need only think back to 2011 when the US government built a detailed mock-up of Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound to train SEAL Team Six for Operation Neptune Spear. This is what we do when preparing for major military operations. Practice makes perfect, and the Chinese are practicing the best methods of overtaking the Taiwanese Presidential Office.

The revelation of this mock-up has sparked debates over China’s strategic motives and military preparations toward Taiwan. Despite Chinese officials advocating for peaceful reunification and warning against international weapons support for Taiwan, the presence of these training sites highlights the continuing risk/likelihood of military confrontation in the area.