Great Wall Of China 2.0: Beijing Unveils New Underground Steel Wall Resistant To Nuclear, Supersonic Attacks

Qian Hu, an 82-year-old Chinese scientist who was recently awarded the country’s top prize in science and technology, has revealed that the ‘underground steel great wall’ developed by him to protect missile bases situated beneath mountains could even withstand strikes from nuclear and hypersonic weapons, reports Hindustan Times.

He explained that the steel wall constituted China’s last line of defence; Qian also associated his work with China’s ‘no first strike’ nuclear doctrine.

Qian was given the 2018 State Supreme Science and Technology Award at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People at Beijing earlier this month.

The underground steel great wall is a network of defence facilities that has been constructed deep underground beneath mountains where the rock’s thickness itself protects against attacks from adversaries; however, the entrances and exits of these bases were relatively unprotected, which is what Qian’s work sought to address.

The underground defensive infrastructure now gives China another layer of protection in case its strategic missile interception system, anti-missile system and air defence system are unsuccessful in intercepting enemy weaponry.

“If nuclear weapons such as atomic bombs are upgraded, so should our defence system. My goal has been to design a nuclear weapons-proof wall for my country,” Qian stated.