China has deployed new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on six of its nuclear powered submarines, allowing it to target the continental U.S. from further distances.
China’s six Jin-class submarines now hold JL-3 ICBMs, which were developed specifically to threaten the U.S., according to Admiral Sam Paparo, head of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Analysts have said that the longer range, submarine-based ICBMs give China a credible nuclear deterrent and second strike capability against enemies.
U.S. officials have not previously acknowledged China has had the long-range weapons on its subs and some China experts suspect the U.S. is making the announcement to boost military spending.
Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times the U.S. seeks to deploy more anti-submarine assets to the West Pacific and develop more advanced subs. He says that hyping the “China threat” will push congress to allocate more funds for the U.S. military.
China began testing the JL-3 back in 2019, but officials say testing of the weapon was not aimed at any particular country.
"China always adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and a military strategy of active defense,” Ren Guoqiang, China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson, said in a white paper released at the time. “The development of weapons and equipment aim to serve the basic needs of safeguarding China's national security."
Other China experts, however, note that long-term ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) necessitate that military development and foreign policy objectives are crafted with the U.S. in mind.
“The CCP has a 100 year plan against the United States. They want to defeat America. The slogan they use is, we live, you die,” Joshua Philipp, investigative reporter and China expert, told Timcast in an interview.
“They don't believe that the communist system can coexist in this world with the American system, because as long as the American system exists, there's this idea of human rights. As long as the American system exists, there's the idea that you are given rights by God and government is there to defend those rights,” Philipp said.
He added, “And that's the role of government that's antithetical to what the CCP represents and antithetical to the way a lot of these groups want to move the world. Really, the American idea is a shot over the bow to every totalitarian system on Earth.”
