Satellite Photos Reveal China's Secret Nuke Submarine Base In Hainan

May 2, 2008 11:41 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - China is building a secret nuclear submarine base in its southern island province of Hainan, based on satellite photos passed to American and British media.

The photos were taken by the commercial satellite imaging company DigitalGlobe in November and published in the military magazine Jane's Intelligence Review. They show a harbor in Sanya with hillside tunnels that military analysts believe are passages to a cavern that can hide many submarines. Sanya is a tourist destination in the southern tip of Hainan.

China's latest 094 nuclear submarine can be seen at the base, along with jetties with moored warships and piers that can accommodate two carrier groups or attack ships.

The American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) described the photos as significant additional evidence of China's military build-up. According to Foxnews.com, AFPC senior fellow Stephen Yates said the base is China's "point of force projection out into the South China Sea."

The Pentagon has been aware of the construction of the submarine base for two years.

Foxnews.com, one of the recipients of the photos, tried to call the Chinese embassy in the U.S. capital to get a comment but its calls were not returned.