Beijing- One in five sailors serving with China’s submarine force, especially nuclear submarines in the disputed South China Sea, are experiencing mental health problems, according to a new research.
China in recent years focussed its military deployment in the South China Sea (SCS), which has become a new theatre of conflict with frequent forays by US naval vessels to assert freedom of navigation in the region.
China claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
A study by Naval Medical University in Shanghai of more than 500 servicemen and officers claims to be the first of its kind to highlight the psychological problems the troops working in the disputed waterway are facing. 21% of respondents were found to be suffering from some degree of mental health problems.