China kept secret that a newly built nuclear submarine sank, US government sources say The Wall Street Journal.
“Not surprisingly they tried to cover up the incident – it was their new top-of-the-line nuclear-powered attack submarine,” says one source.
Earlier this year, a newly built Chinese nuclear submarine sank in the port of Wuhan. The incident must have occurred either in May or June.
That the submarine sank has not been known until now because China tried to keep the incident a secret, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
Satellite images showed floating cranes arriving at the scene to try to save the submarine, and according to experts, it cannot be ruled out that there was radioactive material on board.
Setback for China
“It is not surprising that they tried to hide that their new first-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank at the bridge,” said an anonymous US government source.
The incident is described as a setback for China, which is trying to modernize its navy.
China’s navy operates twelve nuclear-powered submarines and 48 diesel-powered submarines, according to the Pentagon’s 2022 estimate.
The Chinese embassy in the United States does not want to comment on the information.