Confused incident with US nuclear submarine near China: several injured

An American nuclear submarine hit an “unknown object” while submerged in waters off the Asia-Pacific region, injuring several sailors, US officials said.

it was not clear what caused the incident Saturday, they said. The submarine remained “fully operational”.

Unidentified officials told U.S. media that the collision occurred in international waters in the South China Sea and that 11 sailors were injured.

The incident happened in the middle of growing tensions in the region.

The US Navy said the extent of the damage was still being assessed and the nuclear power plant and submarine spaces they had not been touched.

The notice did not give details on where the incident happened or the number of people injured, he only said that the injuries were not life threatening.

But two officials quoted by the Associated Press said two of the 11 injured sailors had injuries classified as “moderate.” All those were treated on board of the submarine.

These officials said the incident occurred while the submarine was carrying out current operations and that the Navy did not release the news until Thursday to maintain operational security.

What did he collide with?

According to the AP, officials said the object it collided with USS Connecticut it was not another submarine. One of the officials cited by the agency said he could have been a sunken ship or container or other unknown object.

Alexander Neill, a Singapore-based security and defense expert, told the BBC that the number of injuries from the collision suggested the submarine was likely “collided with something big” and “it was going very fast”.

An increasingly busy sea with military ships

The incident, he said, was “rare but not unknown” and had exposed how busy the area was with military activities.

“The South China Sea is increasingly saturated with warships from several different countries. Although there have been many displays of force by surface ships, you cannot see the activity level below the surface“said Neill.

High tension

The fact was not the only thing that further increased the tension between China and the United States. The escalation accelerated on Friday when it was learned that Washington had intended a military contingent in Taiwan for at least a year, coinciding with the incursions of Chinese planes near the island a few days ago.

Detachment – according to information published by the newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which cites anonymous sources – is made up of about 20 members of the Special Forces and the US Marine Corps train troops Land and Sea of ​​Taiwan.

A year ago it was rumored that US forces might be stationed in Taiwan, but so far no one has confirmed it.

For their part, island officials have avoided commenting on the issue while Beijing urged Washington to suspend any type of military contact with the island.

From Taipei, Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang, quoted by the official radio station Radio Taiwan International, limited himself to thanking “the countries which, with common values, support Taiwan”.

“The Taiwanese government is doing everything it can to defend theto the sovereignty of the island and its inhabitants“Su said in response to questions from the local press about the existence of these troops.

Meanwhile, Deputy Defense Minister Po Hung-hui only stressed that the island “welcomes” “international cooperation”.

The Taiwanese question under examination

The island, considered an autonomous territory with its own government and its own political system, this is one of the main reasons for the conflict between China – which claim your sovereignty– and the United States, since Washington is Taiwan’s leading arms supplier and it would be your greatest military ally in the event of war.

In response to questions about the US detachment, Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said that “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard their security and territorial integrity ”, and that the White House must“ fully understand ”the“ high sensitivity ”of the Taiwanese question.

“The United States must stop selling arms to Taiwan and stop military contacts so as not to harm bilateral relations and peace and stability on both sides of the strait,” he added.

Beijing culpa a Washington from the current regional crisis, and among the motives he uses is, besides the sale of weapons, “the landing of military planes in Taiwan and the navigation of warships” through the Strait of Formosa.

Unsurprisingly, information from the WSJ comes to light in a rarefied climate in the region in the latest Chinese air raids near the island, which sent Taipei-Beijing relations to their “worst moment in four decades,” Taiwanese officials said.

Spanish expert Xulio Ríos, director of the Observatory of Chinese Policy and author of the book “Taiwan, a crisis in the making”, believes that Beijing will seek to “stem the tensions that erode the current status quo”, and that “if Washington doubles the bet may encounter a critical situation having to decide whether to get involved or not and to what extent. “

“It is likely that during the last meeting between the top Chinese diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and Jack Sullivan, adviser to US President Joe Biden, they opted for lower candles. For Beijing, the temptation still exists, but the risk is high“, comments the analyst on his website.

Hours before this bilateral meeting, which Beijing described as “constructive” unlike previous failed meetings, Biden said he spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, about Taiwan and the two agreed. respect the current state of affairs, lor that for Washington, that means recognizing Beijing as the only Chinese government.

But the North American country also made a commitment at the time with the defense of the island and with the supply of military equipment, which generated a lot of friction between the two powers.

China demands accountability for the submarine

The WSJ announcement also coincides with the nuclear submarine “USS Connecticut” incident.

China demanded on Friday that Washington clarify the purpose of deploying your vessel in the waters of the South China Sea, a key strategic area for trade routes between East Asia and the Indian Ocean rich in fishery, gas and oil resources.

Zhao expressed “grave concern” over the incident and urged the United States to provide details, which specifies whether the submarine caused a nuclear leak or damaged the marine environment.

The region is also the scene of continuing tensions as China claims almost all and it has built military installations on several islets in maritime space, which are also in whole or in part contested by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Clarin press room with news from agencies and BBC News

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