China 'to send nuke subs in Pacific'

China is to send nuclear missile submarines to the Pacific as deterrence amid mounting tensions with the US, a report says.

Citing military sources in Beijing, the Guardian newspaper says a Chinese nuclear deterrence patrol mission in the region is "inevitable" in response to US plans to station new weapons systems in the region.

China has been irked in particular by Washington's intention to place an anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea.

The two countries are also at loggerheads in the South China Sea, with the US conducting several "freedom of navigation" exercises in the region to challenge Chinese territorial claims.