After the United States carried out a decapitation strike on Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, a message circulating online claims that residents in Beijing have revealed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is accelerating the expansion of the Xishan Underground Command Center in western Beijing, formally known as the Central Military Commission’s Joint Operations Command Center.
According to the claims, residents say Xi Jinping fears being targeted in a similar decapitation strike. Some Beijing residents reportedly feel uneasy, worrying that once construction is completed, people involved in the project might “disappear.”
On March 5, Liu Min, a participant in the 2022 Chengdu “White Paper” protest who now lives overseas, posted a message citing reports from Beijing residents. The message said construction in the Xishan area of Beijing is currently underway around the clock, with work continuing 24 hours a day on a large-scale project.
“Many people here are talking about it. It is said that Xi Jinping and others are expanding the Xishan underground command center,” the message said. Construction expansion in the Xishan area has reportedly been ongoing since last year, with the scale of the project continuing to grow.
The message also stated: “My grandfather once told me that during the Deng Xiaoping era, large-scale underground shelter projects were built in Xishan. Many of those who participated in the construction were military personnel. But after the project was completed, many of the workers never returned home and there was never any news about them.”
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According to the account, families of those involved were told only that the workers had died while carrying out special missions, without explanation of where or how the deaths occurred. Rumors circulated locally that some workers had been buried underground along with the shelters they helped construct.
The message further claimed that the current large-scale underground construction in Xishan has caused unease among many Beijing residents. In private discussions, some believe the project is being accelerated because Xi fears a “decapitation strike” similar to the one that killed Khamenei, prompting efforts to strengthen underground command and shelter facilities.
The post added that many people living in Beijing have heard about such matters. “The more people learn about these situations, the more frightened they feel,” it said.
Online commenters also responded to the claims. One user wrote: “Good. Netizens have already provided precise coordinates, making future decapitation strikes easier.” Another commented: “It’s useless. Bunker-buster bombs can penetrate deep underground. No matter how deep it is, it won’t help. Surrender is the only answer.” A third user wrote: “It’s like building a mausoleum for an emperor. Once it’s finished, they’ll bury everyone inside so nothing leaks out.”
The world’s largest military command center?
Reports in previous years have suggested that the CCP may be constructing what could become the world’s largest military command center—an underground complex sometimes described as a “Beijing military city” designed to withstand nuclear attack.
On Jan. 31, 2025, Radio Free Asia cited a report by the British newspaper Financial Times indicating that signs suggested China was constructing a giant military command center west of Beijing. The complex could be the largest in the world, possibly up to ten times the size of the U.S. Pentagon.
According to the report, U.S. intelligence agencies were assessing satellite images showing a site roughly six square kilometers in size about 30 kilometers southwest of Beijing, where several large deep pits had been excavated. Military experts believe the site may house massive bunkers capable of protecting military leaders during nuclear war.
Construction at the site is estimated to have begun in mid-2024. The area had previously been highly active. Although military personnel or equipment were not visibly present, warning signs prohibited drone operation and photography, and checkpoints were set up nearby to prevent civilians from approaching. A nearby shop owner described the area as a “military zone.”
A former senior U.S. intelligence official said China’s current primary and most secure military command center is located in the Xishan area of Beijing, built decades ago during the Cold War. The scale of the new facility and the fact that part of the structure is buried underground suggest it could become a new operational command center. Chinese leaders may believe the facility could strengthen protection against U.S. bunker-buster bombs and nuclear attacks.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on Jan. 7, 2018, that a government-funded geological survey found that a nuclear shelter built for the CCP’s top leadership, along with their staff and military personnel, lies more than two kilometers deep within limestone caverns underground.
The shelter is located beneath the Xishan National Forest Park about 20 kilometers northwest of Zhongnanhai and resembles a small underground city. The Central Military Commission’s Joint Operations Command Center is located there. In the event of a nuclear strike or other severe threat, the leadership in Zhongnanhai could enter the shelter quickly.
Within two months, the United States has reportedly carried out two high-profile operations targeting foreign leaders. On Jan. 3, U.S. forces launched a raid in Caracas, Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel jointly carried out a missile strike in Tehran, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with more than 40 senior officials.
Political commentator “New Highland” wrote that the two operations together signal the emergence of a new reality of warfare: decapitation strikes targeting the top leadership of sovereign states are shifting from exceptional actions to a more regular strategic option. According to the commentator, the United States and Israel have elevated such strikes from “unconventional measures” to a repeatable strategic tool.
Xu Silong, a Chinese human rights lawyer now living in exile in the United States, wrote on the social media platform X: “President Trump is truly formidable. In early January he captured Maduro alive, and at the end of February he eliminated Khamenei. Now only three dictators remain who are dangerous to the world: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un.”
“Xi is Trump’s good friend, so Trump probably will not take action against him. But Xi is the core leader of the evil camp. Compared with the other two, he poses a greater threat to the United States and the world. To capture the bandits, you must first capture their king.”
By Li Muzi
