This year, a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine suddenly went under while it was being built, a senior U.S. official told CBS News. Satellite pictures showed that the Zhou-class submarine, described as China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine, went under while moored at a quayside in the Shuangliu shipyard on the Yangtze River. As it probably happened between the months of May and June, the incident represents a major blow to China’s high-priority campaign for the rapid growth of its naval fleet plus domination in the South China Sea.
The growing naval power of China is quite challenging to the US and allies. As they come into a routine, patrolling the area to ensure freedom of navigation. Where the South China Sea is important to international trade, it also happens to be a source of conflict between China and its neighbors—the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia—due to some of China’s controversial territorial claims. This secrecy on the part of Beijing regarding the submarine incident has added more fuel to the skepticism fire, lacking any official acknowledgment from the side of Chinese authorities.
A Planet Labs PBC satellite image shows the submarine after it partially emerged in June, surrounded by rescue equipment. Its present status is not known for certain; however, since then there has been no reported radiation release from it, begging the question as to whether its reactor was operating at the time.
The event came hours after what is believed to be an extremely rare test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by China into the Pacific Ocean, something experts say has not happened since 1980. AUKUS is an alliance between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia that has been recently formed to counteract the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region. It is centered on aiding Australia’s development of nuclear-powered submarines and co-production on military technologies.
Accusing AUKUS of tipping off a nuclear arms race in the area. China, nevertheless, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand are also bolstering ties with other nations in the region as part of efforts to better security cooperation and deterrence of Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions.
