Chinese Nuclear Threat Looms: Submarine with Ballistic Missiles Spotted Near Taiwan

On the 19th, the Taiwanese government announced that it had closely monitored a nuclear-powered submarine belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, which was spotted in the waters near Taiwan.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong, a PLA Navy submarine was spotted around 5 a.m. that day, about 46 kilometers (28.6 miles) away from Kinmen Island, under Taiwan’s jurisdiction. Not long after the discovery, another PLA-affiliated warship appeared and escorted the submarine back to mainland China. Taiwanese fishermen who spotted the submarine reported that the submarine did not submerge again.

Taiwanese military experts speculated that the submarine in question was a Type 094 Jin-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine based on the photos taken by the fishermen. The Jin-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine can carry JL-2 ballistic missiles with a range of 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), putting the US mainland within striking distance. The latest version of China’s nuclear-powered submarine, the Type 094, was commissioned in April and is known to be equipped with the more powerful JL-3 ballistic missile with a range exceeding 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles).

There is speculation about why a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine surfaced in the waters near Taiwan. Ying-yu Lin, a professor of international relations and strategic studies at Tamkang University in New Taipei, said, “Nuclear submarines like the Type 094 have specialized missions and typically avoid surfacing due to their sensitivity and the need for stealth.” He believes the submarine’s surfacing could have been due to navigational or technical issues. Zivon Wang, a military analyst at the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, said, “Considering the location where the submarine was found, it seems to have been navigating within 12 nautical miles (approximately 13.8 miles) of China’s territorial waters.” “Considering its northward movement from the Hainan base in the South China Sea, it is likely that it was routinely moving to change its mission or for maintenance at the Bohai Shipyard,” he added.