美国军方官员确认，中国最新研发的核动力攻击潜艇在建造过程中意外沉没于港口。据卫星图像显示，该潜艇大约在5月至6月间倾覆。
此事发生在“周级”潜艇系列首次出现的关键时刻，严重阻碍了中国政府持续壮大海军舰队，尤其是南中国海主权声索的努力。南中国海对国际贸易至关重要，而中国与周边国家如文莱、马来西亚、菲律宾、台湾及越南的领土争议也存在已久。
美国已着手加强与该地区盟友的关系，并定期通过航行行动维持船舶自由通行权利，此举令北京政府不悦。这艘核潜艇最可能在某段时期内沉没，当时卫星图像显示有起吊设备需从河底将其救出。根据此匿名军方官员透露的信息，中国海军对此保持隐匿。
长期以来，中国的海上力量迅速扩张，对美国而言，其崛起是未来主要安全关切之一。到去年为止，中国拥有六艘核动力弹道导弹潜艇、六艘核动力攻击潜艇和四十八艘柴油动力攻击潜艇。
此次事件的新闻报道与上周五在外交会议上出现的关于中国核潜艇沉没的消息同时披露——外交部发言人表示对此并不了解，并未提供相关信息。美国官员指出，这一情况对于中国的海军而言并非出乎意料。
目前尚不清楚涉事潜艇当时是否装载有核燃料或反应堆处于运行状态。自事件发生以来，该区域内并未报告放射性泄漏。
在沉没的新闻背景下，中国本周进行了一次罕见的洲际弹道导弹试射，目标直指太平洋国际水域。专家指出，这可能是1980年以来北京首次进行此类测试行动。
美国国防部长奥斯汀本周访问伦敦，与中国及英国、澳大利亚的防务部长共同探讨如何应对中国在印太地区的日益强势举动和军事扩张。此行旨在加强AUKUS三边合作，提升三方为确保印太地区安全做出的努力。双方关注的合作领域包括助力澳大利亚获得核动力潜艇与开发新兴军事能力。
今年年初，美国、英国及澳大利亚宣布日本将参与“AUKUS”联盟，在海事自主领域开展合作。此外，加拿大、韩国和新西兰也有关于新兴军事能力项目可能性的讨论。
中国曾指责AUKUS加剧了亚太地区的军备竞赛，并可能影响区域和平与稳定。
新闻来源：www.cbsnews.com
原文地址：New Chinese nuclear attack submarine sank, U.S. officials says
新闻日期：2024-09-27
原文摘要：
Satellite imagery showed that China's newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier while under construction, a U.S. military official confirmed to CBS News on Thursday.The sinking of China's first Zhou-class submarine represents a setback for Beijing as it continues to build out the world's largest navy. Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade.Meanwhile, China faces longtime territorial disputes involving others in the region including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States has sought to strengthen ties to its allies in the region and regularly sails through those waters in operations it says maintains the freedom of navigation for vessels there, angering Beijing.The submarine likely sank between May and June, when satellite images showed cranes that would be necessary to lift it off the bottom of the river, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about the submarine loss.China has been building up its naval fleet at a breakneck pace, and the U.S. considers China's rise one of its main future security concerns.A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday he was not familiar with the topic and did not provide any information when asked about it at a Beijing press conference.The U.S. official said it was "not surprising" that China's navy would conceal it. The submarine's current status is unknown.The identification of the sunken nuclear submarine was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, first noticed the incident involving the submarine in July, though it wasn't publicly known at the time that it involved the new Zhou-class vessel.Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show what appears to be a submarine docked at the Shuangliu shipyard on the Yangtze River before the incident.An image taken June 15 appears to show the submarine either fully or partially submerged just under the river's surface, with rescue equipment and cranes surrounding it. Booms surround it to prevent any oil or other leaks from the vessel.A satellite image taken Aug. 25 shows a submarine back at the same dock as the submerged vessel. It's not clear if it was the same one.It remains unclear if the affected submarine had been loaded with nuclear fuel or if its reactor was operating at the time of the incident. However, there has been no reported release of radiation in the area in the time since.China as of last year operated six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to a U.S. military report.News of the submarine's sinking comes as China this week conducted a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into international waters in the Pacific Ocean. Experts say it marked the first time Beijing had conducted such a test since 1980.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in London this week to discuss progress made by the U.S., Britain and Australia toward their shared goal of deterring China's increasingly assertive actions in the Indo-Pacific. The London summit is the third Defense Ministerial for the allies' trilateral AUKUS partnership, and according to defense officials, it will see them look at the two key elements or pillars of their work together to increase security in the Indo-Pacific. The first of those pillars is helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, and the second is collaborating on emerging military capabilities.Earlier this year, the partnership announced that Japan would work with AUKUS on maritime autonomy and, according to the official, there are also conversations with Canada, South Korea, and New Zealand about potential projects on emerging capabilities. China has accused AUKUS of provoking a nuclear arms race and disrupting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
