Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade.
A satellite image of what appears to be a sunken Chinese submarine at a shipyard near Wuhan, China. PIC/AP
Satellite imagery showed that China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier while under construction, a senior US defense official said Thursday.
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The sinking of China’s first Zhou-class submarine represents a setback for Beijing as it continues to build out the world’s largest navy. Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade.
The submarine likely sank between May and June, when satellite images showed cranes that would be necessary to lift it off the bottom of the river, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about the submarine loss.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday he was not familiar with the topic and did not provide any information when asked about it at a Beijing press conference. The US official said it was “not surprising” that China’s navy would conceal it. The submarine’s current status is unknown.
China faces longtime territorial disputes involving others in the region including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US has sought to strengthen ties to its allies in the region and regularly sails through those waters in operations it says maintains the freedom of navigation there, angering Beijing.
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