Nuclear subs show transparency

This week, Chinese official media released photos and videos of China's first generation of nuclear-powered submarines and reported that the first is to be decommissioned after more than 40 years of service.

Many misinterpreted the reports as China showing off its military muscles, as the reports came on the heels of the Chinese Defence Ministry warning Japan not to underestimate China's resolve to safeguard the integrity of its territory in the East China Sea.

But the truth is the"display"of the submarines is not a show of China's military might, but rather another step in China's increasing military transparency.

As a responsible power and peace-loving country, China is increasing its military transparency step by step. In its national defense white paper in April, the Chinese military for the first time made public its military strength and composition, and the media coverage of the nuclear submarines is another step toward greater transparency. It's really ridiculous for some countries and their media to call on China to increase its military transparency on the one hand, and criticize China's efforts to do so as flexing its military might on the other.

In fact, this week's coverage was not the media debut of the nation's nuclear submarine fleet. As early as the 1980s, the People's Daily reported on the fleet and its underwater rocket launching capabilities.

Hence, the latest reports are not China's military suddenly revealing their muscles, as the fleet and its capabilities are not some secret weapon suddenly being revealed to scare other countries.

The big advantages of nuclear submarines as missile platforms is they can hide in deep water, where current technology is still not very effective in detecting them, and they can stay submerged for a long time: The first nuclear submarine launched by the United States in 1954, the USS Nautilus, could remain underwater for up to four months without resurfacing. Currently Russia operates fourth-generation of nuclear submarines but starts to develop fifth generation. And the US next-generation nuclear submarine may have an electric drive and new reactor plant that allow it to patrol the seas with near-silent stealth for half a century, according to NBC news reports.