A key congressional advisory panel issued a warning on Monday about China’s rapidly advancing maritime capabilities and urged the Pentagon to maintain its undersea “superiority”, underscoring growing friction in US-China relations weeks ahead of a high-stakes summit next month.
China has invested heavily in submarines, undersea cables and sea-floor mining, potentially undercutting the US lead in undersea warfare, commissioners and witnesses said at a hearing of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC).
“We must ensure this domain remains a source of strength and deterrence, not vulnerability,” said USCC chair Randall Schriver.
While the US retains significant advantages as a maritime power, its position and advantages could be eroded as US strategic competition with China intensifies, he added.
The USCC is an independent panel established by Congress in 2000 to advise lawmakers on the national security implications of the US-China trade and economic relationship.
The Monday hearing called on witnesses from the US Navy and Washington-based think tanks to elaborate on China’s narrowing gap with the US in undersea capabilities.
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