The senior officials of the U.S. Navy stated during a congressional hearing that China is accelerating the construction of a new generation of submarines with stronger strike capabilities, especially strategic nuclear submarines equipped with longer-range and more accurate ballistic missiles in the future. This allows them to operate in waters closer to their homeland and more protected areas, while still being able to cover a larger area, including the U.S. mainland, within their strike range. In written testimony submitted to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Rear Admiral Seave said that the advanced technologies used in China's "next-generation submarines" pose a serious challenge to the United States' long-standing underwater superiority. Meanwhile, the head of naval intelligence warned in the same testimony that by around 2040, China's underwater forces may present a credible challenge to the U.S. military's regional maritime dominance. The testimony also cited Pentagon projections indicating that the total number of Chinese submarines could increase to 80 by 2035, with about half being nuclear-powered. As China advances its efforts to build an ocean-going navy and tensions with the U.S. escalate in areas such as the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the U.S. simultaneously emphasizes the urgency of its shipbuilding and new alliance mechanisms (such as AUKUS).
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Original: toutiao.com/article/1858707308441674/
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