Satellite imagery has uncovered China's expansion of replica Taiwanese government structures at a key military training ground in Inner Mongolia, nearly tripling the setup since 2020 in what a Japanese think tank calls evidence of heightened invasion simulations amid escalating cross-strait frictions.

The People's Liberation Army's Zhurihe base now features a simulated Judicial Yuan connected to a 280-meter underground tunnel, adjacent to facsimiles of Taiwan's presidential office, foreign ministry, and defense ministry, according to Maxar images analyzed by the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals.

The right-leaning Sankei Shimbun, which reported the findings Wednesday, noted the presidential mockup's 2015 state media reveal, suggesting a long-term urban warfare prep.

Beijing has ramped up such drills in recent years, aligning with President Xi Jinping's National Day pledge to quash "Taiwan independence." The self-ruled island, bolstering U.S. arms ties, decries it as provocative posturing; Taipei's defense ministry called the replicas "psychological warfare" aimed at intimidation.

China's military, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, frames exercises as defensive against "external interference."

Analysts see the buildup as part of a broader push, with Tsinghua University's computer science lead reflecting tech-military fusion that could enhance AI-driven scenarios.

As tensions simmer—Taiwan's drills up 50 percent this year—the mockups spotlight a shadow conflict of preparations, where concrete stand-ins mask the brinkmanship defining Asia's powder play.