China sought to cover up the sinking of its most recent nuclear-powered submarine, a US defense official said Thursday.
The sinking, which took place in a shipyard earlier this year, was reported by the Wall Street Journal, which shared satellite images showing large cranes coming to recover the submarine.
“It is not surprising that the Chinese Navy is trying to cover up the fact that its new advanced nuclear-powered submarine sank at dock,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“Besides the obvious questions about manufacturing standards … the incident raises other, bigger questions about the responsibility of the Chinese Navy and the control of China’s defense industry, which has long been plagued by to corruption.”
The incident is a setback for China, which is seeking to modernize its fleet, the largest in the world, but which has many small ships.
The United States and Britain must provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines to expand the number of countries with these advanced submarines.
An agreement criticized by Beijing, because it is considered a strategic response to Chinese military ambitions in the Asia-Pacific.
