China wants to send nuclear-armed submarines to the Pacific Ocean

(Baonghean.vn) - Beijing is facing the risk of a new arms race with the above move, even though the country claims that the expansion of US missile defense leaves them no other choice.

China has been researching ballistic missile submarine technology for more than three decades. Photo: Getty.

According to the Guardian, the Chinese military is ready to send its first nuclear-armed missile submarines to the Pacific Ocean, justifying that the new US weapons system has destroyed Beijing's existing defenses, leaving them with no other options.

Chinese military officials have not yet given the exact timing of the major patrol, but insist it is certain to happen.

They cited plans in March to deploy the US THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, and develop hypersonic missiles capable of striking China within an hour of launch, as major threats to the effectiveness of the country's ground-based defenses.

A recent Pentagon report to the US Congress predicted that “China will likely conduct its first nuclear defense patrol in 2016,” despite similar predictions made by senior US officials in the past.

China has been researching ballistic missile technology for the past three decades, but actual deployment has been delayed due to technical errors, policy decisions, etc.

So far, Beijing has claimed to pursue a cautious defense policy, never being the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict and storing warheads and missiles in separate locations, under the strict control of the top leadership.

The Guardian also noted that deploying nuclear-armed submarines would have unpredictable consequences. The warheads and missiles would be linked together and transferred to the navy, saving time if a decision was made to launch a nuclear weapon. China’s launch of missile patrols could worsen the already tense strategic situation with the US over the South China Sea.

The THAAD anti-ballistic missile shield was decided to be deployed in South Korea after North Korea's fourth nuclear test, and is intended to protect South Korea from missile attacks.

However, Beijing believes that the THAAD system’s range extends into China and contributes to its nuclear defense capabilities. It has warned Seoul that bilateral relations could be “immediately damaged” if THAAD continues to be deployed.

Behind the ominous warnings is a growing concern within the People's Liberation Army that its relatively small nuclear arsenal (estimated at 260 warheads compared with 7,000 for the US and Russia), consisting mainly of land-based missiles, is increasingly vulnerable to a first strike, whether nuclear or conventional.

Missile defense is not the only concern for the country. It is also worried about the new hypersonic missile being developed under the US Prompt Global Strike program, which aims to create precision-guided missiles that can reach targets anywhere in the world within an hour.

China is developing a similar missile, but officials in Beijing fear that China's nuclear arsenal could be wiped out if missiles fired in retaliation are destroyed mid-air by US defenses.

Thao Linh

(According to the Guardian)