China has deployed secret missiles in cargo ships to be used for surprise attacks: Report

Secretly, China has been developing Trojan Horse-style missiles hidden in shipping containers that can be unleashed on enemy ports when needed, experts have said. In an exclusive report, The Sun Online stated that military analysts believe China’s massive fleet of freighters and fishing vessels could be turned into warships with the use of secretive container missiles. 

In the latest revelation that brings additional focus to China’s hidden motives, the British media outlet stated that the sheer number of container ships makes it challenging to pinpoint which ones are used by China than the warships in a war-like situation. Similar to the fabled Trojan Horse, the missiles would be quietly smuggled into the periphery of an enemy port on a civilian vessel before being used for a surprise attack.

The Sun Online spoke to Rick Fisher, a senior official in Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, who revealed that even though the Chinese have not officially confirmed if they have the missiles, it is ‘likely that they have them’. Additionally, it was also warned in a study by Stockton Center for International Law that the weapons could further violate the naval laws. 

Jim Fanell, a retired Navy captain and a former Pacific Fleet intelligence chief has previously noted that a containerised anti-ship missile would be a significant threat to the United States Navy. The latest The Sun Online report comes in the backdrop of China increasingly coming under fire from the global community over its human rights abuses, authoritarian regime among other violations. Most recently, US-China tensions reached a new high with America announcing a complete diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

China is known to be aggressively developing its military and is also squaring up to the US, stated the report adding that its reach has expanded to as far as Africa. It is also pertinent to note that the mock-up of the missiles which are now reported to be used by China, appeared first at an arms fair back in 2016. Since then, there had been speculations about being in service with China’s armed forces. 

Weapon fits Chinese strategic preference 

Fisher reportedly also believed that the secret weapon fits perfectly with China’s military strategy and most likely it would be used as an offensive capability against their enemies. These missiles have the potential to be smuggled into foreign ports anywhere in the world. Fisher told The Sun Online, “Chinese strategic preferences for surprise would strongly argue for acquisition” of the missiles.

He further added that these would be fitted to “nondescript small Chinese ships in order to mount surprise missile raids against shore defences to assist follow on amphibious or airborne invasion forces”. As per the report, Fisher said that shipping container missile launchers can be smuggled through ports or through highway ports of entry to be deployed in the desired region. These can then be stored for several years in a climate-controlled building within range of US military bases before being taken out when needed for military operations. 

Containerised missiles offer China a ‘wide array of options’

Sun Online stated that the containerised missiles used by China offer the Communist leadership of the country “a wide array of options”. He noted that if China uses them, “Washington would be in chaos, would not know against whom to retaliate”. These even include “using larger container ships, thousands of fishing ships or stored containers in ports, to undertake military or terror mission strikes in a manner that can be denied if desired”.

“The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is fully capable of using containerized missiles to sow chaos when desired,” he insisted.

Where can China store them?

The media outlet stated that for instance, China could store its missile launching containers near the Port of Seattle. Fisher noted that China would wait for the day when they can ultimately launch an electromagnetic pulse warhead-armed missiles over the nearby nuclear ballistic missile submarine base. He was quoted by the report as saying, “The EMP blast might take out electronics on the [submarines] and all over the base without having to launch a nuclear missile from China.”

“Washington would be in chaos, would not know against whom to retaliate, and perhaps China uses American distraction to begin its real objective, the military conquest of Taiwan,” he further added, as per The Sun Online.

(IMAGE: AP)