据美国军事官员向哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）新闻确认，卫星影像显示，中国最新一代核动力攻击潜艇在建设阶段期间发生沉没，泊位旁停靠。此举对于正在不断扩建世界最大海军的北京构成了挫折。
这一事件标志着中国首艘周级（Zhou-class）潜艇的损失，其对南中国海几乎全部海域的声索愈发积极，并且该区域对于国际贸易至关重要。与此同时，中国在周边地区包括文莱、马来西亚、菲律宾、台湾和越南在内的领土争议问题上与其它国家有着长期的争端。
美国则一直努力加强其在该地区的盟友关系，并定期派遣军舰进行航行，声称这维持了当地海上交通自由，此举激怒了北京。
潜艇可能在5月到6月间沉没。当时卫星图像中可见用于将其从河底吊起的起重机。透露这一细节的官员以匿名方式出现，是为了提供有关潜艇损失的详情。
中国的海军舰队正在以惊人的速度增强实力，美国视中国崛起为其未来安全首要关切之一。
当被问及该话题时，中国外交部发言人表示他并不了解情况，并在北京举行的新闻发布会上未提供任何信息。
这位美国官员表示，对于中国海军掩盖此事“不感到意外”。目前，关于沉没的核潜艇的具体状况尚不清楚。《华尔街日报》最先报道了这一沉没事件。在7月，前美国海军潜艇艇员、国家安全中心（Center for a New American Security）分析师托马斯·舒加特注意到这一涉及新周级潜艇事件的存在，尽管当时公众并不知道具体细节。
路透社分析的Planet Labs PBC卫星图像显示，事件发生前，双流造船厂的长江岸边停泊着一艘潜艇。6月15日拍摄的一张照片似乎显示，该潜艇在河面下全或部分被水淹没，周围环绕着救援设备和起重机。为防止船只泄漏的油液或其他物质泄露，已设置浮筒。
8月25日的卫星图像显示了同一泊位上的潜艇回到了沉没前的状态。无法确定它是否是同一艘潜艇。
关于涉事潜艇在事件发生时是否装载有核燃料或反应堆是否处于运行状态尚不清楚。然而，直到现在，在该区域并未报告放射性物质泄漏的消息。
至去年为止，中国共拥有六艘战略导弹核潜艇、六艘攻击型核潜艇以及48艘常规动力攻击潜艇。
沉没事件正值中国本周在太平洋国际水域进行罕见的洲际弹道导弹发射之际。专家指出，这是自1980年以来北京首次进行此类测试。
国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀正在伦敦讨论美国、英国和澳大利亚如何共同努力遏制中国日益强烈的印太区域行动所取得的进展。这一周的伦敦会议是联盟三方“澳英美”（AUKUS）伙伴关系的第三次防长会议，根据国防官员的说法，会议上将探讨他们合作工作的两大关键领域或支柱以加强印太地区的安全。
其中一项支柱涉及帮助澳大利亚获得核动力潜艇；另一项则是协同开发新兴军事能力。
今年早些时候，该联盟宣布，日本将在AUKUS框架下与各国共同推动海事自治。此外，也有关于加拿大、韩国和新西兰在开发新兴能力方面进行潜在项目的讨论。
中国指责AUKUS引发了核军备竞赛并扰乱了印太地区的和平与安全。
新闻来源：www.cbsnews.com
原文地址：New Chinese nuclear attack submarine sank, U.S. official 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.
