The submarine achieved the feat during 17 dives from May
to July, when it went as deep as 3,759 meters below the South China Sea, the
official China News Service said, citing the Ministry of Science and Technology
and State Oceanic Administration.
Chinese news reports did not say where the submarine
went, whether it visited disputed waters, or why the announcement was held off
until now. It was the first time a Chinese submersible vehicle has gone that
deep, said the reports.
China, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and
Taiwan all stake claims to territory in the South China Sea, which holds
potentially big energy sources and is a major shipping route. All except Brunei
have a military presence in the area, and the boundary claims have sparked
naval clashes in the past.
The submarine test underscored China's ambitions to join
the race for resources in the ocean depths.
"This success also shows that our country has become
one of the handful possessing deep-sea manned submersible technology," Liu
Feng, the engineer in charge of the deep-sea dive, told television news.
The South China Sea covers an area of more than 1.7
million sq km, with more than 200 mostly uninhabitable small islands, rocks and
reefs. It reaches depths of up to 4,000 meters, according to Chinese government
surveyors.
The sea holds valuable fishing grounds and as-yet largely
unexploited oil and natural gas fields.
China accused the United States of meddling after
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the territorial claims in the sea at
a regional forum in July, and said Washington backed a multilateral approach to
resolving them.
In late July, Chinese naval forces carried out drills in
the disputed southern waters.
