China Mapping Seafloor Around US Allies to Send Nuclear Submarines-Analyst
A Chinese vessel is suspected of mapping the seafloor around U.S. allies Australia and New Zealand to support submarine deployments, an analyst has said.
All observed activities conducted by the ship, Tan Suo Yi Hao, "appear to be in accordance with international law," the Australian Defense Department told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
The Tan Suo Yi Hao, which means "Discovery One" in English, is operated by the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering. It is built for conducting deep-sea exploration and is the mother ship of two types of submersibles.
China is expanding its military reach and presence within and beyond the western Pacific Ocean with the largest navy in the world by hull count-which has more than 370 vessels, including 12 nuclear-powered submarines, according to the latest Pentagon assessment.
Last summer, three Chinese research vessels were tracked operating in the Indian Ocean for suspected survey missions, which could be used to aid in China's submarine warfare. Both Australia and New Zealand are part of the Five Eyes, a U.S.-led intelligence alliance.
The Tan Suo Yi Hao was underway in the southeastern portion of the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia as of Tuesday, Ray Powell, the director of the Stanford University-affiliated SeaLight maritime analysis organization, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
A Newsweek map shows the Chinese ship was outside the Australian 200-nautical-mile (230-mile) exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It previously transited the Great Australian Bight off Australia's southern coastline and the country's EEZ after leaving New Zealand.
The Chinese vessel did not take the "most direct" route back to China, where it is expected to arrive on April 30, Powell said, adding that the "dual-purpose" ship, which is reportedly capable of gathering intelligence, has another objective: surveying the Diamantina Trench.
According to Powell, the Tan Suo Yi Hao paused its voyage twice over the trench, which has a depth of 8,047 meters (26,401 feet). The analyst said this could indicate the deployment of submersibles, which can reach 10,000 meters below sea level, according to its operator.
The "most obvious" reason for China to carry out deep-sea research off Australia and New Zealand would be to facilitate its submarine force deployments, including submarines that are armed with nuclear missiles, at "strategic deep-sea locations," the analyst concluded.
Prior to its voyage near Australia, the Chinese vessel conducted a joint research expedition from January to March with scientists from New Zealand at the Puysegur Trench's deepest point, located 6,208 meters below sea level and to the southwest of New Zealand.
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Australian Defense Department said the "Chinese government-owned" Tan Suo Yi Hao was approximately 737 nautical miles west-southwest of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, as of Tuesday.
Australia has not observed the Chinese deep-sea science and engineering research vessel "conducting maritime research or survey activities" within its EEZ, the statement added.
Marine scientific research within the EEZ waters "shall be conducted with the consent of the coastal state," according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
A spokesperson for the Australian Defense Department said: "[The Australian Defense Force] monitored the Tan Suo Yi Hao as it transited to the south of Australia and while it remained in our maritime approaches."
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Australia said: "Over recent years China has conducted joint scientific expeditions with multiple countries, making positive contribution to global marine biodiversity protection and sustainable development. Politicizing or stigmatizing of the research activities is disrespectful to global scientific development."
Alex Luck, a naval analyst in Australia, wrote on X: "China has had a long-standing program running to reach some of the deepest maritime regions. This has research applications, but also an obvious political and reputational angle as a maritime nation."
It remains to be seen how long the Tan Suo Yi Hao will stay in the waters off Australia. Its voyage comes after China sent a flotilla for an unprecedented circumnavigation of Australia and the deployment of an American nuclear-powered submarine to Australia.
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