2024-09-27 12:49:24
China’s newest nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarine sank earlier this year, a senior US defense official said today, cited by Reuters and AFP. According to the agencies, if the news is confirmed, it would be a potential blow to the image of Beijing, which wants to expand its military capabilities.
China currently has the world’s largest fleet of over 370 ships, while also embarking on the production of a new generation of nuclear submarines.
A senior US defense official said the new Chinese multi-purpose submarine sank off the pier in May or June. He added that it is still unclear what caused the sinking and whether there was no nuclear fuel on board at that time.
In addition to the obvious questions surrounding training standards and the quality of equipment, the incident raises deeper questions about internal accountability within China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and oversight by China’s Ministry of Defense, which has long been poisoned by corruption.” said the interlocutor.
“It is not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to cover this up,” he added.
The Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet commented on the news, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
A series of satellite images from the company “Planet Labs” from June allegedly show cranes in the shipyard of the city of Wuchan, where the submarine should have been anchored, writes BTA.
According to 2022 data from the Pentagon, China has six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarines and 48 diesel-powered multi-purpose submarines. According to the US Department of Defense, the PLA Navy’s fleet of submarines should increase to 65 in 2025 and to 80 ten years later.
China announced earlier this week that it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Pacific Ocean, which Reuters said would heighten international concerns that the country is building up nuclear forces.