Global Times recently reported, based on British news sources, that the Chinese military is in the middle of planning to send nuclear submarines to cruise the pacific. The new weapon systems that the United States has deployed in the region weakened China’s “power of deterrence.” Anonymous Chinese military officials said there has been no set time table for the submarines yet, but some actions like this are unavoidable. A recent Pentagon report also predicted that, at a certain point in 2016, a nuclear related “deterrence patrol” by China could be possible. So far Beijing has been following the “prudential military deterrence” policies, which promise not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. However, deploying nuclear submarines may have a long-term impact.
Source: Global Times, May 26, 2016
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