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US-China relations: Chinese submarines put through their paces in promotional video
- State broadcaster shows eight-minute film of Type 093B submarine taking part in exercise
- Video released days after a US guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait
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Chinese state television has broadcast a video showing off the capabilities of the country’s submarines, in what defence analysts say is a response to the United States’ increased naval activity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The eight-minute film, shown by China Central Television on Thursday, included footage of the Type 093B submarine – a modified version of the Type 093 – simulating an engagement with an enemy ship and firing a torpedo at it.
Its release came two days after the USS Mustin – an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer – sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a strategically significant waterway that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland.
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Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Tong said the timing of the video’s release was clearly intended to send a message to Washington.
“The Type 093B is powerful enough to be a threat to US warships because it is equipped with YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles,” he said.
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“They are combat-ready to deal with an American opponent.”
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