China has 'Underground Seel Great Wall" to protect nuclear weapons from potential attacks

China has built an "Underground Steel Great Wall" below the mountains to hide its nuclear weapons from the potential attacks, said a top Chinese defence scientist who recently received the country's highest defence award from President Xi Jinping.

Qian Qihu, 82, said China's "underground steel Great Wall" could "guarantee the security of the country's strategic arsenal" against potential attacks, including those from future hypersonic weapons, state-run Global Times reported on Sunday.

Qian, an academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told the daily that the "Underground Steel Great Wall" is a series of defence facilities located deep under mountains.

While the mountain rock is thick enough to resist enemy attacks, entrances and exits of these facilities are often vulnerable and Qian's work was to provide extra protection for these parts, the daily said.

China's nuclear strategy follows the principle of "no first use" and requires the country to have the capability of withstanding a nuclear attack before it responds with its strategic weapons, the daily said.

Qian, who received the 2018 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award during a conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, said the "Underground Steel Great Wall," is the "country's last national defence line."