January 1, China accuses the US of a ‘lack of transparency’ over submarine accident

China accused the US of a “lack of transparency and responsibility” over an Oct. 2 Navy submarine accident in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the US should provide a full report of the incident that reignited a dispute between the two countries over the waterway.

“We once again urge the US to give a detailed account of the accident,” Wenbin said.

According to the Associated Press, two anonymous Navy officials said the nuclear-powered USS Connecticut hit an underwater mountain known as a seamount. However, the Navy has yet to fully explain how the accident occurred or the extent of the damage to the vessel.

Wang said the US operated with a “lack of transparency and responsibility” in the wake of the incident.

He said the US has yet to offer “a clear explanation” of what the submarine was doing in the area, as well as “the specific location of the accident, whether it was in another country’s exclusive economic zone or even territorial waters, whether it caused a nuclear leak or damaged marine environment.”

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China accuses US of ‘lack of transparency’ over sub accident