In an ominous development, new pictures of an advanced Chinese long-range-missile-carrying submarine also show China is building a major base for its subs at Hainan Island, including underground tunnels.

Those pictures, taken by DigitalGlobe, were published by Jane’s.

Chinese Jin Class submarines are nuclear powered, with limitless range that can move them near any nation, and they carry intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range of almost 5,000 miles.

Thus a Chinese sub could slip along, submerged under the Pacific Ocean well away from the U.S. West Coast, and fire a missile that could strike Washington or New York.

U.S. military leaders, analysts and lawmakers have pondered why China needs such global reach and power, when it says it is focused on possibly invading Taiwan, 100 miles from the Chinese mainland shore, or on guarding sea lanes already guarded by the U.S. Navy.