China building submarines faster than US: Report

Beijing: China has ramped up its production of nuclear-powered submarines over the past five years to the point where it is launching subs faster than the US, threatening to negate a sea-power advantage that has long belonged to Washington, according to a think-tank report. The build-up in the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) nuclear-powered sub force includes both ballistic-missile and attack subs, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.

During the years 2021 to 2025, China’s submarine building surpassed that of the US in both numbers of subs launched – 10 to 7 – and tonnage – 79,000 to 55,500, CNN said, quoting the IISS report.

It’s a stark turnaround from the 2016 to 2020 period, when China only added three subs (23,000 tons) to the US Navy’s seven (55,500 tons), according to the IISS analysis. The numbers represent subs launched but not necessarily completed and added to the active-duty fleet, where the US still maintains a large advantage.