US attack submarine collides with 'unknown object' in South China Sea
Daily MailA U.S. fast-attack, nuclear-powered submarine struck a mystery object while submerged in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said on Thursday, injuring as many as 11 sailors. CIA Director William Burns said the most important geopolitical threat facing the U.S. was 'an increasingly adversarial Chinese government' as he launched the China Mission Center Taiwan is only 81 mi off the coast of mainland China at the narrowest point of the Taiwan Strait They said the forces had been operating there for at least a year. James Moriarty, speaking Wednesday night at an event to mark Taiwan's National Day in Washington, said China's recent show-of-strength in the skies near the island are a reminder of the threat it faces. He spoke against the backdrop of a rapid expansion of China's military, including the construction of new bases in the South China Sea - where Taiwan is located and over which Beijing claim supreme authority. China's sorties near Taiwan have included nuclear-capable H-6 bombers along with fighters and recon planes In a huge show of force to Beijing, the US is also participating in huge naval exercises in the region led by Britain's newest aircraft carrier - HMS Queen Elizabeth.