A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine that struck an underwater object in early October hit an uncharted underwater mountain, an investigation found.
The USS Connecticut had been operating in the contested South China Seas when it struck the mountain on Oct. 2. Though there was some damage to the submarine and some crew members were injured, none of the injuries were life-threatening.
The submarine had to travel on the ocean's surface from the South China Seas to Guam for repairs, according to NPR.
Tensions between China, Taiwan, and the U.S. have been rising in recent weeks and, on the day of the crash, China flew 39 aircraft into the Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone. Two days later, China flew a record 56 aircraft into the zone in a 24-hour period, CNN reported.
On Sunday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, said eight aircraft entered the Air Defense Identification Zone.
There is also a war of words under way between the United States and China over Taiwan.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for Taiwan to have "meaningful participation" at the United Nations, saying it's "not a political issue, but a pragmatic one," Reuters reported.
China adamantly opposes Taiwan's participation in international forums, however, as it considers it one of its provinces, not an independent country, according to Reuters.
"Should the U.S. side choose to continue playing the ill-advised 'Taiwan card,' it would inevitably pose seismic risks to China-U.S. relations, seriously undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and gravely harm the interests of the U.S. itself," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said a day after Blinken's statement.
Taiwan's current policy is "the greatest realistic threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Zhao said.
On Thursday, Taiwan's defense minister acknowledged that U.S. military personnel are training Taiwanese troops, CNN reported.
"The U.S. military is only assisting in training (our troops), but they are not based here," Chiu said, according to Taiwan's official Central News Agency, CNN reported.
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