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China Mapping Ocean Floor for Submarine Warfare, Reuters Finds
China's multi-year undersea mapping campaign spans Pacific, Indian, and Arctic oceans using 42 vessels and hundreds of sensors, aiding submarine navigation and military strategy, experts say.
- This month Reuters reported China is conducting a vast undersea mapping and monitoring operation across the Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans, tracing more than five years of movement by 42 research vessels.
- Naval-Warfare experts say the data being collected gives China the subsea picture needed to deploy submarines, reflecting civil-military fusion under President Xi Jinping.
- The Ocean University research vessel Dong Fang Hong 3 spent 2024 and 2025 near Taiwan and Guam, checked powerful ocean sensors near Japan in October 2024 and May, and criss-crossed Malacca Strait approaches in March 2025.
- Security testimony this month underscored that Rear Admiral Mike Brookes said China expanded surveying to support submarines, prompting the U.S. government to back a $12 billion investment fund.
- Experts reacted, with Ryan Martinson saying, 'It is frankly astonishing to see the enormous scale of Chinese marine scientific research', noting tracking gaps due to AIS disabling extend the campaign beyond available data.
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China is mapping the ocean floor as it prepares for submarine warfare with the U.S.
Chinese vessels are mapping the sea floor at strategically vital regions of the world's oceans, building detailed knowledge of marine conditions that naval experts say would be crucial for waging submarine warfare against the U.S. and its allies.
·United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Center
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources are Center
64% Center
L 27%
C 64%
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