Huge embarrassment for China; state-of-the-art nuclear submarine sank, says US; Chinese authorities refuse to respond

WASHINGTON: China, an Asian country, is a massive military power in the world. Currently, China has the largest naval force globally. According to 2022 reports, China possesses six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines. However, reports are now emerging that one of China's advanced submarines has sunk. It was the United States that revealed this information. A senior US defence official stated that the incident occurred in May-June last year.

However, Chinese authorities have not responded to America's allegations. The Chinese Embassy spokesperson in Washington stated they have no knowledge of the situation and have nothing to share at this time. American officials stated that it is unclear why China's nuclear submarine sank. They said that they didn't know whether nuclear fuel was present on the submarine at that time. They also noted that it's no surprise China is hiding information about this.

China currently has over 340 ships in its naval fleet. According to the US Defense Department, China is planning to increase its submarine count to 64 by 2025 and 80 by 2035. There is also an assessment that China's nuclear weapons development is likely to raise concerns at the international level.