China builds secret nuclear submarine base

IS ANYONE REALLY SURPRISED? REMEMBER THIS IS COMMUNIST CHINA....








Researcher spots China's new nuclear sub on Google Earth
A satellite image of China's new nuclear ballistic missile submarine is available on the Google Earth Internet site.

A satellite image of China's new ballistic missile submarine. [See DigitalGlobe images on Google.] FAS.org

Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), spotted the images, photographed by the commercial Quickbird satellite in late 2006.

One photo is of what is apparently the new Type 094 Jin-class SSBN at the Xiaopingdao base near Dalian, FAS reported.

The Jin-class is about 35 feet longer than the Xia-class SSBN, "primarily due to an extended mid-section of approximately 115 feet (35 meters) that houses the missile launch tubes and part of the reactor compartment," according to the report.

The extended section is to make room for the larger Julang-2 ballistic missile and may also be due to the size of the reactor.

In late 2006, the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence projected China could build five Jin-class SSBNs. The estimate was not cited by the Pentagon's May 2007 annual report on China military power.

BEIJING, China — Fox News reported that China has secretly built an underground nuclear submarine base in the South China Sea.
Satellite photos of the base obtained by FOX News show a large harbor and massive tunnels that defense experts say could shelter many nuclear subs.
Pentagon officials indicated that they have been aware of the base for at least two years.
By 2010, China will have five operational 094-class nuclear submarines capable of carrying 12 nuclear missiles each, according to press reports.
According to the Defense Department, China has 57 attack submarines, but the satellite pictures suggest their 094-class nuclear submarine may already be available.
Stephen Yates, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, told Fox News, “It’s very significant to have further visual evidence of the kinds of military build-up that they’ve been engaged in for some time.”
The report comes on the heels of recent remarks by the commander of U.S. Pacific Command citing an apparent disconnect between what China says and what it is doing.
“They profess to seek a peaceful rise and harmonious integration,” said Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating in a recent interview. “We are all for that. But they have to show us, in our view, how they intend to achieve that while developing these certain weapons. We think there is some contradiction in the stated goals versus the practices we are observing.”
In March, Keating told the Senate Armed Services Committee he sees headway in breaking down longstanding divisions between the two countries, but remains troubled by China’s lack of transparency about its military programs.
The Defense Department recently released its 2008 China Military Power Report, noting that China spent more than three times its announced defense budget last year and is developing new capabilities that could have global implications.
Calls to the Chinese Embassy seeking comment on the revelation were not returned.