China’s navy has completed a record-breaking circumnavigation of Australia in about a month, according to a new map from Newsweek. The Chinese military did not respond to a request for comment.
Australia is part of the US-led Quad grouping with India and Japan, and is assisting the US in acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines. China has expanded its global military reach and presence, with over 370 vessels in its navy.
China sent two destroyers to Vanuatu in October, jostling with the US for influence in the South Pacific. The Chinese task group was spotted transiting the Sunda Strait, a strategic Indonesian waterway, before returning home from a northward voyage that began last week.
The deployment highlights China’s ability to carry out naval operations close to states that do likewise around China, according to naval analyst Alex Luck. “China may also want to compel states such as Australia to reallocate more resources to their immediate surrounds as opposed to conducting operations near China,” he said.
This voyage was part of a larger trend of Chinese naval expansion, with the navy completing a 339-day anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia last year. The Chinese military observer cited by Newsweek described the latest deployment as “inevitable” and pointed out that China has been expanding its range of activities over the last decade.
The US has frequently deployed warships to the waters off China’s coastline, and it remains to be seen whether China will conduct any naval deployments near US territory.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/map-china-news-navy-encircle-australia-south-pacific-2041964