Support for new nuclear submarines emerged in 1994 under Jiang Zemin[6] after the 1993 Yinhe incident[7] and continued tensions with Taiwan.

The first two Type 093As were also relatively quieter by incorporating acoustic dampening technology developed from Kilo-class submarines purchased from Russia.

[9] The last two Type 093As may have been further improved by using acoustic dampening mounts derived from later Russian technology, possibly making them China's "first quiet submarine.

[16] Radio Free Asia cited Chris Carlson, a retired submariner and US naval intelligence analyst stating "(t)he problem is the vast majority of the reporting (...) is from Taiwanese sources that have some credibility issues" and that the details required verification.

[4] These boats have a streamlined sail lengthened by 2.5 meters to reach the Type 093's design speed of 30 knots, a stern towed array sonar deployment tube, and a hump behind the sail; the hump is likely for the towed array handling gear and is not a vertical launching system (VLS).

The last two Type 093As may have received JYQN mounts, possibly giving the boats noise levels like early Project 671RTM (NATO reporting name Victor III) which entered service in the late-1970s.

[11] Chinese proficiency in precision manufacturing since 2012-2013 may result in a noise levels like the Soviet Project 945 (NATO reporting name Sierra I) that launched in 1983.