Tri-Service
China To Send Nuclear Armed Submarines To The Pacific
The Chinese military is reportedly preparing to send submarines armed with nuclear missiles into the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
New US weapons systems have undermined Beijing’s existing security so much the country’s military feels it has no other choice, according to the Guardian.
The report says Chinese officials won’t comment on the timing of the first patrol but insist it is inevitable.
The move comes amid rising tensions around China’s expansion in the South China Sea.
Today, G7 leaders meeting in Japan agreed to send a strong message on maritime claims in the western Pacific, where China is locked in territorial disputes with several Southeast Asian nations.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the issue of the South China Sea had “nothing to do” with the G7 or any of its members.
A man-made island in the South China Sea
The Pentagon says China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land from the sea and is developing military installations, including missiles, on the man-made islands.
The United States has accused Beijing of militarising the area, which is an important trade shipping route, and has stepped up patrols of the sea which they call “freedom of navigation” operations.
Last week two Chinese fighter jets were accused by the US military of performing an “unsafe intercept” of a US Navy reconnaissance plane over the sea.
However, China denied any “dangerous manoeuvres from Chinese aircraft”.
Earlier this month, a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 miles of the artificial island at Fiery Cross reef.
Chinese fighter jets were scrambled in response.
It was the third time the navy has sailed a warship close to contested Chinese Islands.
Cover Image: Jin (Type 094) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
