China is producing five times as many submarines as Western allies – including Britain – and in less than 15 years could be threatening our territorial waters.
That chilling warning was provided to MPs yesterday who were told a ‘Blue Pole’ by 2040 will allow Chinese vessels to occupy the North Sea.
China is also well placed to prevent any US attempt to stop its armed forces seizing the independent island of Taiwan, according to experts.
Appearing before the Defence Select Committee, Professor Peter Roberts said: ‘The rate at which the Chinese are accelerating is shocking. I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this, in terms of a state developing a technical capability.
‘They started from a really low ebb but they have accelerated and grown at a speed faster than we’ve seen in submarine warfare before.
‘Their ability to push out whole submarines at a rate of three, four, five to one against all of the West every year is pretty shocking.’
Nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarines of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on sea trials in the South China Sea
A Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarine returns to port after a voyage of more than 200 days. The green algae builds up when the submarine is still on the sea bed.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addresses submarines on a visit to BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness
China is rapidly expanding its submarine fleet, including nuclear-powered and advanced diesel-electric boats, and is on course to replace Russia as the world’s second most powerful submarine nation.
The country’s ability to produce so many submarines so quickly exposes the UK’s failure to build replacement submarines.
Royal Navy submarines have been spending record lengths of time on secret patrols to compensate for shortages of serviceable boats.
Vanguard-class submarines have completed tours lasting more than 200 days, eventually returning to port with their hulls covered in green algae and barnacles.
The vegetation develops when submarines are silent and still on the ocean bed.
As the Mail has previously revealed, there have been times since 2014 when not a single Royal Navy ‘attack’ submarine has been available to guard the ‘bomber’ submarines carrying the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
Experts have also calculated the strategic moves China needs to make to reduce the US’s chances of preventing an invasion of Taiwan.
Professor Roberts added: ‘China only needs to push back the US 400 nautical miles’ to prevent the US providing air cover to Taiwan from its aircraft carriers.
Chinese naval expansion has outperformed every Western prediction while Russia is building ‘first rate, excellent submarines’, according to Professor Roberts.
Russia’s continued interest in submarines may be due to Vladimir Putin’s father having been a submariner.
In terms of submarine availability, what was previously an operational crisis for the Royal Navy, has recently become routine.
Allies are being required to provide submarines to compensate for the shortage of Astute-class vessels.
HMS Ambush, the submarine with the worse service record has been inactive for over 1,200 days.
With the Royal Navy at its smallest for centuries, official data released at the end of last year revealed only three of its six Type 45 destroyers and six of its eight Type 23 frigates could be deployed.
The combined total of destroyers and frigates stood at 14 ships, a figure not seen since the Victorian era.
When he took office last year, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins ordered senior officers to create a new maintenance recovery plan within 100 days.
Last night the Ministry of Defence confirmed it is stepping up its defence of the Arctic and High North from rising Russian threats.
As mentioned in the House of Commons last month, numbers of Royal Marines being trained in Norway is doubling to 2,000 over the next three years.
Speaking in Norway, Defence Secretary John Healey said: ‘Russia poses its greatest threat to the Arctic and High North since the Cold War. We see Vladimir Putin rapidly reestablishing a military presence including reopening bases.
‘Thousands of troops will deploy [to the area] as part of NATO exercises Cold Response and Lion Protector. We train together, deter together and, if necessary, fight together.’
A ‘Blue Pole’ is a naval term referring to the melting of the polar icecaps due to global warming. This will create new routes over the Arctic region potentially threatening UK security.