China's New Sub Base To Make Waves
According to sources in Taiwan, Japan, India and China, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is building a new focus for its strategic nuclear forces: Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The new hub would reflect China's expanding naval power projection capabilities and greatly increase the possibility of confrontation with other navies.

The strategic shift most likely involves basing some of the PLAN's new Type 094 Jin-class nuclear strategic missile submarines (SSBNs) at a new facility either within or near the existing South Sea Fleet base at Yulin on Hainan Island.

Since 2002, Jane's has interviewed several Asian government officials on China's efforts to build a new nuclear submarine base on Hainan. At first this was described as an underground submarine base, similar to the PLAN's underground pen to support its single North Sea Fleet nuclear submarine base at Huludao on the Bohai Gulf.

In late 2004, however, a serving People's Liberation Army officer who confirmed the existence of a new base also noted that it was not to be an underground facility. Further evidence of a base in some form came in early 2005 when internet source photos documented the visit of a single Type 091 Han-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) to Yulin. In late 2005, an Asian military source noted that the Hainan facility would be able to host up to eight submarines and might even be scheduled to begin operations in 2006.

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