US Navy keeps closer watch on China submarines, Beijing think tank says

Surveillance ships said to be operating in South China Sea on most days this year
Waters area near the Paracel Islands, off Vietnam, is a hotspot of activity

South China Sea

Laura Zhou

Published: 8:30pm, 14 Jul 2021

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The United States’ surveillance of China’s submarines is happening far more often in the South China Sea, a think tank says, a sign that military activity between the two countries is heating up under the water.

The US has five USNS (United States Naval Ship) ocean surveillance vessels – Victorious, Able, Effective, Loyal and Impeccable – stationed in Japan.

The ships, which can be used in anti-submarine warfare, were tracked operating in the South China Sea for at least 161 days out of 181 days in the first half of this year, according to a report from the Beijing-based South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) think tank on Tuesday.

It said each of the ships were active in the area for more than 10 days, and sometimes for as many as 40 days, deployed one after another with virtually no time in between.

“[The main purpose was] to monitor the dynamics of China’s underwater forces, analyse the scope of submarine activities in key waters and their entry and exit routes, and provide intelligence support for anti-submarine operations,” the report said.

Most surveillance activities by the US Navy took place near the Paracel Islands – called the Xisha Islands in China – and Macclesfield Bank, said the report.

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The Paracel Islands, about 400km (250 miles) from Vietnam, are claimed by the self-ruled island of Taiwan and by Vietnam, as well as by China. Vietnam calls them the Hoang Sa Islands. Macclesfield Bank, which China calls the Zhongsha Islands, is an underwater atoll also claimed by the Philippines.

The area is ideal for submarines and anti-submarine warfare thanks to the water being more than 2,000 metres deep and the complex hydrographic environment, the report added.

The US Navy also appears to be expanding its surveillance area. The report noted that USNS Victorious and USNS Impeccable were tracked in waters west of the Paracel Islands, an area the navy barely visited previously.

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The think tank report follows related comments from Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, on Monday. He said the US has intensified tension through 2,000 “close surveillance drills” and about 20 large-scale navy drills this year, all focused on China, many of them close to the country’s coast. Zhao did not say how this level of activity compared to previous years.

Washington has said such operations are necessary to keep China’s excessive claims in check.

Official figures have never been announced but China is believed to have one of the world’s largest submarine fleets. Modernisation efforts in recent years have greatly improved its naval strength.

A Pentagon report last year said China had four ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 46 diesel attack submarines.

The US has more nuclear-powered submarines but China is catching up. US military officials have said China is likely to have between 65 and 70 submarines by the end of the decade.

In part because of their rising strategic competition, China and the US have both stepped up their military activities in the South China Sea over the last few years.

The region, a potential flashpoint between the two powers, is believed to have reserves of natural resources and is a major shipping route. It is also home to fishing grounds supplying the livelihoods of many people.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: US believed to be keeping closer eye on submarines