Chinese Submarine Fleet Is Growing, Analysts Say

Several recent events, from an eagle-eyed spotting of an image on Google Earth to an overt military delivery from Russia, suggest that China is continuing its rapid expansion of a submarine fleet that would be particularly useful in a conflict with the United States over Taiwan, analysts and military officials said.

American and other Western military analysts estimate that China has more than 30 advanced and increasingly stealthy submarines, and dozens of older, obsolete types.

By the end of the decade, they say, China will have more submarines than the United States, although it will still lag behind in overall ability.

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