ADMIN
China's fearsome military submarines designed to carry nuclear warheads have been spotted in the Taiwan Strait.
The 11,000-ton Humpback sub appeared alongside several other warships as Chinese President Xi Jinping ramps up his nuclear power. armory at a blistering pace
The Chinese People's Liberation Navy sub reportedly approached a group of fishermen in a popular fishing district around 5am on Thursday.
The giant “Jin Class” ship has been spotted along the center line of the Taiwan Strait Taiwanese media Saying it looked in “misery”.
The Type 094 nuclear sub slowly rose to the surface where it remained on the water for several minutes, locals claimed.
A second Chinese vessel arrived quickly as it appeared to assist the sub as they both headed for mainland China moments later.
More military vessels were later seen to finish sailing around the humpback sub, it was reported.
It is unclear what the problem was with the powerful sub or whether it was armed at the time.
Pictures show a giant submarine partially floating on the surface of the Taiwan Strait.
The giant ship costs $750m (£590m) and comes in at 135m in length.
According to China, only six of the quiet and silent ships exist.
They are called humpback subs for their uniquely designed hulls that can store up to 12 nuclear missiles.
President Xi has overseen a rapid expansion of China's nuclear arsenal in recent months.
Fears are growing that China is stockpiling a formidable arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles like the US. Russia By 2030.
China is expanding its nuclear arsenal
Hans M. Christensen
Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says Beijing has built around 100 nuclear warheads in the past 12 months and now has an arsenal of more than 500.
Hans M. Christensen, Associate Senior Fellow at SIPRI, said: “China is expanding its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country.”
The SIPRI report offers a rare insight into Beijing's war prowess as Xi remains tight-lipped about its nuclear capabilities.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has responded to China's alarming rise in military growth by announcing that the alliance is in talks to deploy more nuclear weapons in the coming years.
Mr Stoltenberg also expressed his continued concern about Putin's Russia and North Korea.
He revealed telegraph NATO members are talking about the possibility of taking the missiles out of storage and putting them on standby as a last resort.
Mr Stoltenberg said: “I will not go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be launched and which should be stored, but we will have to consult on this.
“That's exactly what we're doing in NATO, for example, in meetings of NATO, a nuclear planning group like we did this (last) week during the defense ministerial meeting.
“The goal of NATO is, of course, a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as there are nuclear weapons, we will have a nuclear alliance, because a world where Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear weapons and no NATO is a more dangerous world.”
China vs. Taiwan
President Xi has told the world that his fearless People's Liberation Army will become a world-class military force by 2049.
One of his first shows power could dominate and retake Taiwan by force in less than three years.
China has been lurking around Taiwan for decades, threatening to invade in recent months.
Beijing regards the self-ruled island as its own domain and has vowed to take over Taiwan if they refuse to cooperate.
In May, Taiwan's government sent a chilling message that it was heading toward a “dangerous situation of war and danger.”
At the end of May, Beijing began alarming military exercises around the isolated territory of Taiwan.
Dozens of fighter jets filled the skies over Taiwan as the armada stormed toward its shores in a WW3-style mock attack.
The unprecedented move was seen as “a severe punishment for the separatist actions of the Taiwan Liberation Forces”.
The threatening advance continued for more than 24 hours until Friday, with another 27 warships and 62 fighter jets completely blockading the island.
Taiwan condemned the military drills as an “unreasonable provocation”.
“It has rapidly mobilized its naval, air and ground forces to protect the island's sovereignty,” the defense ministry said.
Why China wants to attack Taiwan?
Taiwan insists that it is an independent country, having split from mainland China in 1949 amid a civil war.
But China insists that Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunited – and has not ruled out using force to take the island and put it under Beijing's control.
The island, about 100 miles off the coast of southeastern China, considers itself separate from mainland China, with its own constitution and democratically elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called “First Island Chain,” which includes a list of US-friendly territories crucial to Washington's foreign policy in the region.
It also puts it in an ideal situation to slow the Chinese onslaught on the West.
And with tensions high between the two countries, Taiwan may help China's enemy if it means maintaining its independence.
Taiwan's economy is another reason why China is desperate to reclaim land.
If China seizes the island, it could project power in the western Pacific and rival the United States, thanks to Taiwan manufacturing most of the world's electronics.
This allows Beijing to control an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats against the small island nation.
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