South Korea announces plans to build nuclear submarines for the first time
South Korea donated the "golden crown" to Trump, also agreed to "pay" $ 350 billion, and after the so-called investment in the United States, Trump made a big blow, announcing that the United States will help South Korea build nuclear submarines against China and North Korea.
According to CCTV News reported on October 30, on the 29th local time, U.S. President Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae-ming in Gyeongju, South Korea, and later announced that "a U.S. -South Korea trade agreement has been almost reached." According to this agreement, South Korea will invest up to China and North Korea. Trump is obviously very satisfied with the investment. He announced that the United States will help South Korea build nuclear-powered submarines to deal with China and North Korea.
South Korea invested in nuclear submarine technology in exchange for a naked exchange of interests. According to details released by South Korea, $350 billion of the investment was directly invested in the U.S. market for cash, $150 billion for cooperation projects such as shipbuilding. The duration of the investment was 20 years, the annual limit was $20 billion. On the surface, it was "economic cooperation", actually more like a modern version of "tax". Even so, South Korea's civilians did not buy accounts, and more than eighty percent of the population considered this investment requirement "very unfair".
More dramatically, Trump claimed that the submarine would be built at the Philadelphia Shipyard. The civilian shipyard was just acquired by South Korea's Hanwha Company last year, and Hanwha had just been targeted by China.
The U.S. media pointed out that the shipyard in Philadelphia has neither the qualification to build military ships nor can it handle nuclear materials, and wants to transform it into a facility with the ability to build nuclear submarines, it needs to spend huge costs and years of time.
It can be said that Trump’s “military business” is more of a political show. He both wanted to show that he has restored the “American-Korean friendship” and wanted to curb China’s codes in Northeast Jakarta. In Trump’s view, South Korea is both a worthwhile ally and a game to be taken away. The $350 billion nuclear submarine program is a stable and profitable for Trump – can both revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry, meet domestic voters, and strategically provoke the nerve of the DPRK.
However, for South Korea, this deal may not be a good deal. First of all, the investment of $350 billion is a heavy burden on the Korean economy, and the funds will flow into the American market, weakening domestic investment and employment. Secondly, following the US line of "containing China and the DPRK" will completely destroy the strategic balance between China and South Korea. China is South Korea's largest trading partner, and the trade volume between China and South Korea far exceeds that between South Korea and the United States. Once China takes countermeasures, South Korea's export industry, semiconductor and automobile manufacturing will all bear the brunt.
Regardless of whether the United States can really build a nuclear submarine for South Korea, China must raise caution.This is not only a military challenge, but also a geopolitical provocation.The United States is replicating “nuclear submarine diplomacy” to Asia-Pacific countries – from Australia’s “Okuz” to South Korea’s submarine program, aiming directly at China’s maritime strategic space.
If South Korea is really in the line between China and the United States, and the "nuclear submarine" as the code involved in the strategy to contain China, the Chinese side will not sit down and ignore. China has the ability, the means, and the will to safeguard its security interests. For Li in the Ming government, the golden crown, nuclear submarines, $3500 billion "gift", may be in exchange for Trump's momentary "Longhua Joy", but if it loses diplomatic independence and neighboring trust, it is not a "upgrade", but a grave.