根据五角大楼发言人确认的信息——其不愿透露姓名——中国潜艇今年早些时候在码头边沉没，目前尚不清楚该舰是否携带了核燃料。
《华尔街日报》在本周四早前的报道中称，中国最新的一艘核动力潜艇可能在5月或6月于武汉的一个内陆城市船厂遭遇了意外沉没。该报引用专家意见指出，在这起事故中，潜艇有可能携带有核燃料。
据《华尔街日报》透露，卫星图像显示，在事件发生的早期六月，曾有大型起重机出现在报道中提及的地点，疑似试图进行救援工作。
这起沉船事件对中国的军事现代化计划构成了重大打击，尤其是其在海上的力量扩张目标。尽管中国持续增加国防预算（2024年增长预计为7.2%），重心在于海军的发展。
《华尔街日报》还指出，在事件发生后，中国努力掩饰了这一未曾公布的事故信息。而在周三，五角大楼对中国的透明度给予了高度评价，因为后者在洲际弹道导弹试射前提供了详细的预警通知。
根据美国国防部去年的评估，截至那时，中国海军装备有12艘核动力潜艇和48艘常规动力潜艇，并正朝着到2025年拥有65艘潜艇的目标发展。
新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：Chinese Nuclear-Powered Sub Sank Earlier This Year, US Says
新闻日期：2024-09-26
原文摘要：
The Pentagon confirmed a report that a Chinese submarine sank earlier this year, and it’s unclear if the vessel was carrying nuclear fuel.The Chinese submarine sank at pier-side, according to a Pentagon spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The person offered no other detail about the incident.The Wall Street Journal earlier Thursday that China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank in May or June at a shipyard in the inland city of Wuhan. The Journal cited experts as saying it was likely the sub was carrying nuclear fuel at the time.Large cranes could be seen in satellite imagery from early June in what the paper said was an attempt to salvage the submarine.The sinking marks a major setback for China’s military-modernization plans, including its ambitions to outmatch the US as a seagoing power. China continues to ramp up military spending — the defense budget was set to grow by 7.2% in 2024 — with a focus on building out its navy.Read More: The Journal said China scrambled to cover up the sinking, which hadn’t been previously disclosed. On Wednesday, the Pentagon had praised China for its transparency for giving advanced notification of a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Read more: China’s naval force operates 12 nuclear-powered submarines and 48 diesel-powered submarines, the Pentagon said in an October assessment of China’s military. The country is on pace to have 65 submarines by 2025.
