Beijing has been placed under a mysterious lockdown by Chinese officials, amid significant military movement in the country. Officials have banned tourists from the leaving their hotels and even prohibited pigeons, amid a frenzy of speculation. This comes ahead of a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
The parade will take place on October 1, the date when the Mao Zedong-led Chinese Communist Party secured power.
During the recent lockdown, witnesses spotted advanced military technology being moved through the capital – with the unidentified weapons causing concern.
Among those identified were the new Chinese Type 15 light tanks, which are designed for mountainous warfare.
However, the tanks were all draped in new desert camouflage, raising speculation that Beijing could be considered a troop deployment.
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Many other vehicles, however, were draped with tents in an attempt to keep the weapons secret.
A large, mysterious torpedo-shaped device was spotted, which was speculated to be a weaponised underwater submarine drone.
Another mysterious device was a flat craft with a huge engine, which was suspected to be a hypersonic drone.
One looked like a missile launcher and drew comparisons to Russian BM-30 Smerch machines.
The Beijing municipal government said yesterday that pet birds, including homing pigeons, as well as any other objects that could “affect flight safety,” are prohibited from flying across the sky until October 1.
Drones, kites, balloons, and lanterns are also barred from being in the air in those districts during the period.
Last week, rare footage for China’s state broadcaster showed Beijing’s mysterious DF-16 ballistic missile being launched.
The missiles have the capacity to “destroy Washington’s 800 military bases in Asia” according to the broadcaster.