Military experts call reports about China building 6 nuclear submarines baloney

Submarines of the PLA Navy in a drill (File photo)

Indian media speculation that China is building six nuclear submarines at once is groundless, Chinese military experts said.

The reports said that the six nuclear-powered submarines, which they believe to be Type 096, are being constructed at a facility in Huludao, northeast China’s Liaoning province, according to satellite imagery they obtained.

The speculation is not trustworthy, because India lacks the experience of building nuclear submarines, Yin Zhuo, a military expert, said in an interview with CCTV.

Countries normally build one or two submarines at the same time but not six simultaneously, because that would require a large amount of money, Yin said.

He added that submarines built and put into service simultaneously usually retire at a similar period of time, which would weaken military capabilities.

Another military expert, Cao Weidong, believes the speculation reflects the curiosity of the outside world about China’s technical advancements, new strategies and tactics of the Chinese navy, and nuclear weapons strike capability improvements.