China debuts new warship, boosts South Pacific presence

China has debuted yet another new warship built to launch amphibious landings in military exercises held this month.

China’s naval branch, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, announced it launched its fourth Type 075 Amphibious Assault Ship, CNS Hubei, during training exercises staged in the South China Sea.

The Type 075 was built to conduct amphibious landings. It can deploy troops from helicopters while offloading landing craft, tanks and armored vehicles from its interior.

The South Pacific has been the scene of skyrocketing tensions in recent months as China seeks to expand its maritime dominance — to the alarm of South Pacific nations.

US briefly deploys warships after Chinese military ships’ collision

On the heels of the new warship’s launch, China has deployed about 11 Coast Guard vessels to the Second Thomas Shoal in further aggressive maneuvers seemingly aimed at the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Chinese vessels were seen “practicing the employment of water cannons” and were accompanied by military aircraft, according to Philippine military observers.

The launch of the warship in the South China Sea, along with the deployment of more vessels near the contested shoal, is part of an increasing pattern. China has been alarming Pacific nations with aggressive actions that have ramped up in the region for months.

Last September, China was roundly condemned by Pacific island nations for test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile over the area for the first time in decades.

In February, commercial flights over Australia were diverted on short notice when China abruptly announced it intended to conduct live-fire drills from vessels sailing in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

“This was very disconcerting for the planes that were flying, but they were able to divert,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Recently, China has targeted Philippine vessels with water cannons to chase them away from uninhabited shoals in the South Pacific. One such aggressive chase resulted in two Chinese vessels crashing into each other earlier this month.

Two Chinese military vessels collide in South China Sea

The sharp increase in Chinese military presence in the South Pacific prompted Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to declare last month that a Chinese military base in the Pacific Islands would be unwelcome.

Fears about a new military base follow the April opening of Ream Naval Base in Cambodia, funded by China, and over which Chinese officials co-presided. The base was renovated for expanding the presence of warships in the South Pacific, although Cambodia has claimed the bolstered naval base is for friendly purposes.

The U.S. Department of Defense has made defense of allies in the Indo-Pacific a top strategic priority. This year marked the first time that Exercise Talisman Sabre, an annual joint military exercise between the U.S. and Australia, took place outside of Australia.

The exercise saw unprecedented teamwork between forces from the U.S., Republic of Korea, France, Germany, U.K., Australia and Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Navy said, and was the largest of its kind to date.