Chinese Submarine Stalked U.S. Aircraft Carrier

AP and Reuters, AOL Wire Services

WASHINGTON (Nov. 13) - A Chinese submarine stalked a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle group in the Pacific last month and was undetected until it surfaced within firing range, The Washington Times reported on Monday.

The Chinese Song-class diesel-powered attack submarine was seen within five miles of the carrier Kitty Hawk and its accompanying warships on October 26, the newspaper said, citing defense officials.

The surfaced submarine was spotted by a routine surveillance flight by one of the U.S. carrier group's planes, the report said.

A Navy spokeswoman in Washington had no comment on the report.

Disclosure of the surprise encounter comes as the commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, Adm. Gary Roughead, was making his first visit to China which began over the weekend, The Washington Times said.

The four-star admiral was scheduled to meet senior Chinese military leaders during the weeklong visit, the paper said.

"When asked if the PLA navy is a threat, I've been on the record as saying no," Roughead told reporters. "But I really would like to know what the intent is in some of the developments that I see in the PLA navy."

Washington, which has long complained of a lack of transparency in China's military modernization, has been pressing Beijing to reciprocate by giving U.S. forces more access to Chinese military exercises and sites.