According to industry insiders, all the key parts of China’s new manned submersible were developed independently by Chinese scientists and manufactured domestically.

The new submersible is expected to dive as deep as 4,500 meters beneath the sea, and will be capable of carrying out scientific research on most of the earth's seabeds. It will have five observation windows, two more than its predecessor, Jiaolong, enabling a broader underwater view, according to Hu Zhen, the craft's chief designer.

In addition, developers of the new submersible replaced the traditional silver-zinc battery with a lithium-ion battery, which can be used for up to 500 charges, scientists disclosed. Maintenance of the new design is easier as well, which reduces the cost of each dive, said Ye Cong, deputy chief designer and quality engineer of the craft.