China unveils tourist submersible

China’s domestically developed manned sightseeing submersible "Jiaozi" has completed test dives and entered deployment at multiple tourist sites, with the manufacturer reporting nearly 100 orders from Indonesia and plans to expand globally. The four-person craft can reach depths of 200 meters, resist high pressure, and features automatic obstacle avoidance; it has been trialed in Chongqing and put into service at locations in Sanya, Hainan, and Yubei District, Chongqing.

Produced by Chongqing Kunlian Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the submersible is marketed for marine tourism, offering large viewing domes, climate-controlled cabins, real-time communications and safety systems designed to meet international standards. The company says rigorous testing — including pressure endurance and emergency simulations — underpins an export push that aims to deploy 2,000 units worldwide over the next five years, with targeted sales in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and parts of Europe.

Manufacturers emphasize turnkey support packages covering pilot training, technical assistance and maintenance to ease integration with existing tourism operations. They also stress environmental design features — low noise and high maneuverability — intended to limit disturbance to coral reefs and marine life, while pledging compliance with regulatory regimes in destination waters.

Industry analysts view manned submersibles as a growing niche within experiential tourism, attractive for destinations seeking to broaden access to underwater attractions without requiring scuba certification. Potential buyers are weighing costs for maintenance, crew training and regulatory clearance, and observers note that long-term success depends on coordination with marine conservation authorities and strict operational controls to prevent ecological harm.

The Jiaozi effort fits a broader trend of China exporting higher-value engineered products and diversifying marine-technology applications from research and resource development into leisure markets. Company hopes to secure early international contracts within a year; if achieved, those sales would mark a notable step in China’s global push into specialized maritime tourism equipment and could help expand commercial underwater sightseeing offerings for resorts and marine parks worldwide.