Is Beijing preparing for submarine action with maritime survey east of Taiwan?

When a mainland Chinese research vessel spent three days last month conducting an oceanographic survey in the Philippine Sea east of Taiwan, state media portrayed the mission as another example of Beijing’s expanding civilian maritime governance.However, experts highlighted the dual-use nature of oceanographic data, pointing out that the information gathered by the Xiang Yang Hong 22 from June 16 to 18 could have military applications, particularly in underwater operations.Routine oceanographic surveys collect information on seawater temperature, salinity, currents and seabed topography – data that is indispensable for marine science.