China has developed a land-based prototype nuclear reactor intended for a large surface warship, signalling significant progress towards creating its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, according to recent reports.
The Chinese navy, already the largest in the world by number, has been swiftly modernising its fleet. The addition of nuclear-powered carriers would mark a significant milestone in its quest for a formidable “blue-water” navy, capable of extended operations far from home waters, increasingly challenging U.S. naval dominance globally.
“Nuclear-powered carriers would place China in the exclusive ranks of first-class naval powers, a group currently limited to the United States and France,” remarked Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. “For China’s leadership, such a development would symbolize national prestige, fuelling domestic nationalism and elevating the country’s global image as a leading power.”
Researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California made this discovery while examining a mountain site near Leshan in Sichuan province. Initially, they suspected the site was for building a reactor to produce plutonium or tritium for weapons. However, they concluded that the site is for a prototype reactor for a large warship. This project, known as the Longwei (Dragon Might) Project, is also referred to in documents as the Nuclear Power Development Project.
Frances Ibiefo
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