Dozens of Chinese ships are deployed to map the seabed in the Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. These explorations provide Beijing with a detailed picture of the maritime environment where underwater battles would take place in the event of a conflict with the United States.
China is currently conducting a vast mapping and monitoring operation in the Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans to gain in-depth knowledge of the seabed. This data would be crucial in the event of submarine warfare against the United States and its allies, Reuters explained in an article published on March 24.On the same subject
As an example, the « Dong Fang Hong 3 », a research vessel of the Oceanic University of China, sailed between 2024 and 2025 in waters near Taiwan and Guam, where the United States has a naval base, as well as in strategic areas of the Indian Ocean, as shown by ship tracking data reviewed by the news agency.
According to China, the vessel was conducting sediment surveys and climate research. However, a scientific paper co-authored by researchers from Ocean University shows that it also carried out extensive deep-sea mapping. Naval warfare experts and U.S. Navy officials assert that the type of data collected by the Dong Fang Hong 3—through mapping and the deployment of sensors in the ocean—allows China to obtain an accurate picture of underwater conditions, which it would need to deploy its submarines more effectively and track those of its adversaries.
42 active research vessels
That said, the « Dong Fang Hong 3 » is not operating alone. It is part of a larger ocean mapping and monitoring operation involving dozens of research vessels and hundreds of sensors. To trace these operations, Reuters examined documents from the Chinese government and universities, including journal articles and scientific studies, and analyzed more than five years of movements of 42 active research vessels in the Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans using a ship-tracking platform developed by the New Zealand company Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
Contrary to previous estimates, a US intelligence report reveals that China does not plan an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, favoring a strategy of control without the use of force.
While these searches have civilian purposes—some exploration campaigns target fishing zones or regions where China has mining exploration contracts—they also serve a military objective, according to nine naval warfare experts who reviewed the news agency’s findings. Ship tracking data shows that China’s seabed mapping efforts are particularly focused on areas of military importance around the Philippines, near Guam and Hawaii, and close to US military installations in the North Pacific.
When questioned by Reuters, former Australian submarine chief Peter Scott said that this information « would be potentially invaluable for battlefield preparation » for Chinese submarines. For their part, the Chinese Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Natural Resources did not respond to requests for comment regarding these activities.
source : Sud Ouest
