China is constructing a research lab 10,000 feet below the ocean in the South China Sea, the same body of water where it is building islands for military use, according to a report.
This oceanic “space station” will be primarily used for mineral research. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping didn’t rule out military use. The maritime project was touted as a high priority for China.
Oceanic exploration at that depth is not unprecedented, as manned submersibles have gone to those areas before, according to Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. However, a “long-term inhabited station has not been attempted this deep.”
Chinese officials did not release details of the oceanic mission.
China has militarized the South China Sea for years and now claims rights to 80 percent of the waters. In addition, China created 3,200 acres worth of man-made islands, according to Greg Poling, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
