Is China preparing for war? Today, a British airline carrier is cruising the waters around China. But some fear it is too late to deter the superpower from invading its neighbour, Taiwan.

Now Yumen is home to a modern, much deadlier kind of defence. New satellite images show that China is building silos for nuclear missiles in the deserts near the city. A second base is also under construction around 200 miles away, close to the city of Hami.

China is one of five countries officially recognised to have nuclear weapons, alongside the USA, Russia, the UK and France. But, unlike its fellow superpowers, it has only ever maintained a small nuclear arsenal of around 300 weapons, compared with the USA's 1,700 and Russia's 1,600.

That seems to be changing. The new silos suggest China is expanding its nuclear arsenal for the first time in decades. And some experts worry that this is another step on the road to war with its small island neighbour, Taiwan.

Taiwan used to be part of China. But when communist forces led by Mao ZedongA revolutionary leader, also known as Chairman Mao, who ruled China as head of the Communist Party from 1949 until 1976. defeated the country's nationalist regime in 1949, some of its figures fled to Taiwan. There, they set up a new authoritarian government and declared independence from the mainland.

Since then, Taiwan has transformed from a nationalist dictatorship into a liberal democracy. But China has always refused to recognise its independence and some fear it has now decided to use force to bring it back under Chinese rule.

In recent years, China has repeatedly sent ships and aircraft to carry out military exercises around Taiwan. It has built several military installations on artificial islands in the South China SeaChina claims almost all of the sea as part of its territory, but this is contested by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, among others. Now China has promised to give the Philippines priority access to its vaccines., the stretch of ocean that separates China, Taiwan, south-east Asia and the Philippines. Some fear that these installations can be used to bully and intimidate China's neighbours and potentially facilitate an invasion of Taiwan.

War games

But China knows that if war does break out with Taiwan, the USA might support its opponent, raising the threat of an all-out brawl with the Western superpower. The new missile silos could be intended to deter Joe Biden from intervening on the side of Taiwan.

The Chinese military has almost 2.2 million active personnel, making it much larger than the US military, which has just under 1.4 million. However, measured in terms of military spending, the USA remains the world's most powerful force. The USA spends $778bn every year on its military, which dwarfs China's $252bn.

Nonetheless, the Chinese government thinks that it has a different advantage over the Americans: morale. It believes that after devoting so many soldiers and funds to wars in Afghanistan and IraqA country in the Middle East with a population of 43.5m. , the American people have grown tired of conflict. They would not accept a lengthy, costly war against a powerful foe like China.

Is China preparing for war?

Yes, say some. President Xi Jinping has made it clear he sees the reunification of Taiwan with China as the final step to restoring his country to glory. While western countries might make threats, there is little they can do to prevent the Chinese from seizing Taiwan without committing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of soldiers to its defence, a sacrifice they cannot afford.

Not at all, say others. The 21st Century likely already belongs to China, thanks to the strength of its economy and its military might. It would make no sense to risk this position by turning itself into a pariah and starting a new Cold War, or even a hot war, with the West. And it is not certain that the Chinese would support a war at a time when China is facing serious economic problems.