China’s menacing military submarine designed for carrying nuclear warheads has been seen surfacing in the Taiwan Strait.

The 11,000-ton humpback sub appeared alongside several other warships as Chinese President Xi Jinping continues to ramp up his nuclear arsenal at a blistering pace.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Navy sub was said to have surfaced near a group of fishermen in a popular fishing district at around 5 am on Thursday morning.

The huge “Jin class” vessel was seen along the median line of the Taiwan Strait with reports from Taiwanese media saying it looked in “distress”.

The Type 094 nuclear sub slowly came up to the surface where it sat still on the water for several minutes, claim the locals.

A second Chinese ship swiftly arrived as it appeared to help the sub as they both drifted off moments later towards mainland China.

More military vessels were later seen completing the journey around the humpback sub, it has been reported.

It is unclear what the issue with the powerful sub was or if it was armed at the time.

Pictures show a mammoth submarine floating partly on the surface of the Taiwan Strait.

The giant vessel, which is 135 metres long and costs a whopping $750 million (£590m), is said to be the largest ship ever built. Only six of the quiet and stealthy vessels exist, according to China.

They are dubbed humpback subs for their distinctly designed hull which can store up to 12 nuclear missiles.

President Xi has been overseeing a rapid rise in China’s nuclear arsenal in recent months.

Fears are increasing over what China is stockpiling the terrifying weapons for with them set to have as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as the US and Russia by 2030.