US advisory panel warns China is gaining in undersea warfare

A key congressional advisory panel issued a warning on Monday about China’s rapidly advancing maritime capabilities and urged the Pentagon to maintain its undersea “superiority”, underscoring growing friction in US-China relations weeks ahead of a high-stakes summit next month. China has invested heavily in submarines, undersea cables and sea-floor mining, potentially undercutting the US lead in undersea warfare, commissioners and witnesses said at a hearing of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC). “We must ensure this domain remains a source of strength and deterrence, not vulnerability,” said USCC chair Randall Schriver. While the US retains significant advantages as…