China upgrades maritime rescue range and depth as ambitions on high seas expand

China’s maritime rescue authorities have expanded their ability to carry out deep sea search and rescue operations beyond 4,000 metres (13,100 feet), according to state media. People’s Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, credited the development of hi-tech equipment for the shift, which it described as “marking the formal transition of China’s transport rescue and salvage forces” to being able to carry out practical operations at such depths. The Nanhai Rescue Bureau, the body responsible for...