Map shows Chinese warships encircling US ally Australia during pointed Pacific deployment

Newsweek‘s map shows that the Chinese navy continues its possible circumnavigation of Australia, a United States ally in the South Pacific, as it is near the country’s west coast.

The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

China, which has the largest navy in the world by hull count with more than 370 vessels, is expanding its global military reach and presence, including in the South Pacific Ocean, challenging America’s naval dominance as they are jostling for influence in the region.

The Chinese naval presence near the Australian west coast, which faces the Indian Ocean, comes as a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, USS Minnesota, armed with cruise missiles and torpedoes, docked at an Australian naval base in Western Australia on February 25.

What To Know

According to the Australian Defense Force, which has deployed warships and aircraft to track the Chinese three-ship flotilla, the Chinese ships were operating 305 nautical miles southeast of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, as of Monday morning local time.

The Chinese naval task group, comprised of destroyer CNS Zunyi, frigate CNS Hengyang, and replenishment ship CNS Weishanhu, continued sailing off the Australian mainland’s southern coast westward since it arrived from the eastern seaboard on February 27.

The latest location puts the Chinese ships within Australia’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off its southwest coast. They have remained outside Australia’s territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles from its shores during this deployment.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establishes a regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas, states that all countries enjoy the freedom of navigation in the EEZ as it covers the waters beyond the territorial sea of any country.

Roger Cook, the premier of Western Australia, warned on Monday that the westernmost state of Australia hosts “some of our most important and strategic industries,” adding that Western Australia has demanded more warships to be stationed on the nation’s west coast.

Xiao Qian, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, responded on Friday that it is normal for China to flex naval muscles near the Australian coast, as it is a major power in the region.

What People Are Saying

Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, said on Monday at a cabinet meeting: “We continue, as well, to monitor the Chinese ships that are in international waters around Australia. [Frigates] HMAS Stuart and HMAS Warramunga, as well as P-8s [maritime patrol aircraft] will continue to monitor what is going on there.”

Roger Cook, the premier of Western Australia, spoke to media on Monday: “Obviously we are watching the developments [Chinese naval presence] with interest, but confident that the Federal Government is making sure that they continue to monitor the movements and have the situation under control.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether the Chinese naval task group will conduct live-fire exercises once it reaches the Indian Ocean off the western seaboard of Australia in the coming days.