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China Plans Massive Sea Lab 10,000 Feet Underwater In the South China Sea (bloomberg.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the pineapple-under-the-sea dept.

An anonymous reader writes: In an effort to hunt for materials, China is planning to build a manned deep-sea platform in the South China Sea. The lab may also serve for military purposes in the disputed waters as well. The lab would be located as much as 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) below sea level, according to a recent Science Ministry presentation viewed by Bloomberg. Bloomberg writes: "The project was mentioned in China's current five-year economic plan released in March and ranked number two on a list of the top 100 science and technology priorities." There are few public details specifying the timeline of the project, any blueprints, costs or where exactly it will be located. China's President Xi Jinping considers more than 80 percent of the waters its sovereign territory. The country has even created several artificial islands in the South China Sea covering 3,200 acres. Last year, the NYT posted a fascinated piece showing clear satellite imagery of the new islands being built.

4 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. They learned rhetoric from us by mi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    China Plans Massive Sea Lab 10,000 Feet Underwater In the South China Sea

    See, now America's attempts to keep them restrained in that area will be perceived as anti-science. Very, very clever...

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  2. Japan and the Philippines should build one, too! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    These are international waters, open to exploration by ALL. This may just be a serious science project, but if it's not just that, the rest of the world needs to do the same. America is not perfect, but I would never, ever, EVER, trust the Chinese government to do ANYTHING for purely altruistic purposes - even for their own people. They get away with too much, already!

  3. Re:Smells Fishy by amicusNYCL · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That's beyond the crush depth of most nuclear powered submarines.

    That's because most nuclear powered submarines are specifically not designed to have to withstand the pressure from being 3,000m underwater. You can't launch a missile from that far down, they only really need to be hidden from things on the surface and in the air (and stay quiet for other subs). There are plenty of other types of submarines which do go that deep because that's part of their design goal.

    --
    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  4. Re: Japan and the Philippines should build one, to by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Why not an underwater version of the international space station?"

    Do you mean a multinational research station that China is excluded from for no particular reason? Uhh, no.