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China Plans Massive Sea Lab 10,000 Feet Underwater In the South China Sea (bloomberg.com)
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.
You better check under the sea
'cause that is where you'll find me
Underneath the
SeaLab
Underneath the water
Underneath the
SeaLab
At the bottom of the 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.
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!
Or precious metals. My Precious...
More details were requested, but ...
China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and the ministry did not reply to faxes seeking comment.
No word on whether Bloomberg tried their BBS or AOL chat room.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
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
AC the US lined the oceans with its mil sound surveillance system back in ~ 1960's (SOSUS) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... so any mil precedent has long been set by the US to use the oceans for "anything" any nation wants.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
"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.
First they came for the Vietnamese, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Vietnamese.
Then they came for the Filipino, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Filipino.
Then they came for the Malaysians, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Malaysian.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Poetry aside, there is a good reason to be concerned about territorial expansion, especially when it's projecting military power uncomfortably close to neighbors. If it continues unchecked, then if or when a war does break out, the first fighting will be to capture that nearby territory in a powerful first strike. That eliminates potential allies for opponents, and concentrates the first counterattacks on liberating the conquered territory.
That's how it worked in previous wars, at least. In a long-range modern war between superpowers, territorial expansion primarily serves as yet another target. It's another place for satellites to watch, another suspicious building, and another place that might hide another missile. Once the big powers break out their big weapons, it won't matter whose sons or daughters are in uniform. What will matter is who can keep their weapons operational long enough to fire at the enemy, and I doubt very much that anyone will care about "dignity".
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
Do you mean a multinational research station that China is excluded from for no particular reason?
The obvious rebuttal is the well-known Chinese government penchant for stealing technology. That's the particular reason.