China scales up ocean research amid war preparations with US — Reuters
Photo: China has launched ocean research in preparation for war with the US (Getty Images)
China is conducting large-scale underwater mapping and monitoring of the oceans. The data collected could prove decisive in an underwater war against the US and its allies, according to Reuters.
China has launched a large-scale program to map and monitor the underwater environment in the Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans.
Experts interviewed by Reuters believe that this data will be crucial in the event of a military conflict in which China faces off against the United States and its allies.
According to ship tracking data, the research vessel Dong Fang Hong 3 of the Chinese Ocean University conducted shuttle routes near Taiwan, Guam, and strategically important areas of the Indian Ocean in 2024–2025.
In October 2024, it tested sensors capable of identifying underwater objects off the coast of Japan, and in March 2025, it conducted operations off the coasts of Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
The Dong Fang Hong 3 is part of a large-scale Chinese program, the agency notes. Dozens of research vessels and hundreds of sensors are participating in this program.
According to experts interviewed by Reuters, the Chinese have obtained data on underwater topography, temperature, salinity, and currents in strategic areas. The research has civilian applications (fisheries exploration, mineral extraction areas), but it also serves military purposes.
Photo: Reuters
Photo: Reuters
"It is frankly astonishing to see the enormous scale of Chinese marine scientific research. For decades, the U.S. Navy could assume an asymmetric advantage in its knowledge of the ocean battlespace. China’s efforts threaten to erode that advantage. It is obviously deeply concerning," the experts say.
"If you look at the sheer extent of it, it’s very clear that they intend to have an expeditionary blue-water naval capability that also is built around submarine operations," they add.
China preparing for war
Earlier, Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, stated that China is likely to attempt to invade Taiwan in 2027.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth expressed a similar view, noting that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan may be inevitable, and the world must be prepared for such a scenario.
Western intelligence agencies warn that China could invade Taiwan as early as November 2026.
In addition, the US accuses China of conducting secret nuclear tests at the Lop Nur test site, despite an international ban.
According to Washington, Beijing is using special methods to mask seismic signals to conceal the development of new weapons.
