Three floors of the CITIC Tower taken up by national security

 Direct translation 

The "China Zun" Tower hides a shocking secret

—The "China Zun" Tower, overlooking Zhongnanhai, has its mysterious three floors taken over by national security

Reporter / Editor : Fang Xun / https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0629/2401607.html / Image : Beijing's tallest landmark, the CITIC Tower, was struck by a light aircraft on 26 June 2026. (AFP)

On 26 June 2026, Beijing's tallest landmark, the CITIC Tower (China Zun), was suddenly and violently struck by a light aircraft. Following the incident, while official reports were released, the specific cause of the accident remained silent. This vague statement immediately ignited a massive public outcry online. This extremely rare incident of a light aircraft striking a building instantly sparked strong public questioning of the airspace defense and security network in the core area of ​​the capital, and once again made Beijing's tallest building the eye of global attention.

This 528-meter-tall landmark building has attracted much attention since its inception, but its unique geographical location has also caused setbacks. Construction officially began on 29 July 2013, and the structural topping-out was successfully completed on 18 August 2017. However, during the subsequent completion and acceptance phase, the building encountered unexpected troubles.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper once revealed in depth that the building's straight-line distance from Zhongnanhai is actually only slightly over 6 km. Chinese Communist Party inspectors discovered that from the top three observation decks (floors 106, 107, and 108), under good visibility conditions, one can see the Zhongnanhai compound, the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, to the west with the naked eye. With military-grade high-powered binoculars, daily activities within Zhongnanhai can be clearly seen. Because of this extremely rare panoramic view, the high-rise building was given extremely high political sensitivity. To eliminate potential security risks, the Chinese government subsequently carried out sweeping reforms. After the "China Zun" officially began operation at the end of 2018, these top three floors were directly transferred to the national security authorities for full management and use.