Bizarre structures in the desert in China discovered on Google Maps

What is China building in a remote desert area? Vast, unidentified, structures have been spotted by satellites in the barren Gobi desert, raising questions about what China might be building in a region it uses for its military, space and nuclear programmes.

The first image looks like a random arrangement of lines. Could it be a targeting grid for satellites? Perhaps they're roads? Some conspiracy theorists have suggested this pattern matches the layout of streets in Washington, DC. Maybe it's just the world's biggest QR code?...

You can decide for yourself by looking at the structure on Google Maps here