China's Navy Deep Sea Insurance Projects

Background

Via Chinese navy watchers at The Times of India's:

[1]

Apr 1, 2013 - Chinese navy signs up Uygur Muslim women for deep sea missions

BEIJING: The Chinese military has began recruiting Uygur Muslim women for its navy in what appears to be first such experiment to open up its ranks for minorities, especially from volatile Xinjiang province where Islamic militants are fighting a separatist movement. Twenty Uygur women were recruited for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) who now started their voyage missions on naval ships, according to state-run China Daily.

[2]

Jan 5, 2015 -  Chinese submarine dives into Indian Ocean to hunt for gold

BEIJING: A Chinese submersible vessel has conducted its first deep dive in the Indian Ocean in search of rare metals. The project involves collecting samples of hydrothermal fluid and sulfide, a kind of seabed deposit containing copper, zinc and precious metals such as gold and silver.

The project, which involves exploring the Indian Ocean for 120 days, reflects China's hunger for resources, and its long-term development plans, sources said.

Analysis

[1] 
China’s campaign against separatism and terrorism in its mainly Muslim west has now become an all-out war on conservative Islam, residents here say. ... “The police are everywhere,” said one Uighur resident. Another said it was like “living in prison.” Another said his identity card had been checked so many times, “the magnetic strip is not working any more.”  - September 19, 2014 

 M.E.: China may intentionally assign Uygur women to ships in harms way. Imagine the familiar Muslim outrage were a nation defending its coastal waters from Chinese interlopers somehow cause harm to these Uygur women.

[2]  China now joins the United States, Russia, France and Japan. The achievement will allow China to explore more than 99.8% of the ocean floor, Liu Cigui, director China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA), told the media.

 M.E.: China may also clandestinely plant sensors, mines, and whatever it wants in offshore locations wherever it may choose (the Indian Ocean, or Pacific NW for instance, where Jiaolong also spent 2 months on research expedition.

Submarines are always silent and strange.