China Research Ship Spotted on NATO's Doorstep
China continues to expand its military reach around the world as one of its naval ships was seen transiting the Strait of Gibraltar and heading into the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.
The presence of the Chinese navy near NATO member states comes as the United States has dispatched an aircraft carrier-led strike group from the East Coast for a mission in Europe.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email.
The Chinese military possesses the world's largest navy by hull count, with more than 370 vessels in service-enabling Beijing to flex its military muscle both within and beyond East Asia.
In January, a Chinese three-ship flotilla concluded a 339-day overseas mission, during which it carried out escort missions, port visits and war games across Asia, Africa and Europe.
Situated between Morocco, Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the Strait of Gibraltar serves as a passage for about 300 ships daily. American warships, along with those of other NATO allies, frequently transit this key strait as part of their operations.
A Chinese Type 636 distant-ocean survey ship crossed the Strait of Gibraltar westward from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday afternoon local time, according to Daniel Ferro-a Gibraltar-based user on X, formerly Twitter-who photographed the ship.
This type of Chinese naval vessel collects oceanographic and meteorological data to support chart production and the development of forecasting systems as the country's navy expands its geographic operations, according to a report prepared by the U.S. Naval War College.
The mission of the Chinese survey ship-operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy-remains unclear. It is also not clear whether the vessel-which, as Ferro noted, is "a long way from home"-will make any port calls during its deployment in the Atlantic Ocean.
Before the Chinese navy's transit toward the Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. Navy deployed USS Gerald R. Ford-the world's largest aircraft carrier-from Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on June 24 for what the service described as a "regularly scheduled deployment" in Europe.
The aircraft carrier forms a strike group with the destroyers USS Mitscher, USS Mahan, USS Winston S. Churchill, USS Bainbridge and USS Forrest Sherman, providing "increased capacity" to deter adversaries and project power on a global scale, the U.S. Navy said.
It remains to be seen whether the Gerald R. Ford will move further east to the Middle East following strikes between the U.S. and Iran. Two other U.S. aircraft carriers-USS Nimitz and USS Carl Vinson-are in the region, according to U.S. Naval Institute News.
A report prepared by the U.S. Naval War College in 2018 said: "The geographic expansion of Chinese naval operations has created intense demands to speed mastery of the 'ocean battlespace environment' in new ocean areas. Some of these demands are met by the [People's Liberation Army Navy] itself. The Chinese Navy, like the U.S. Navy, possesses a corps of meteorologists and oceanographers that support the fleet."
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta, the commander of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, said in a news release on June 24: "Our force stands prepared and ready to execute sustained, multi-domain operations at sea, wherever and whenever tasked, in support of American security and economic prosperity."
China is expected to continue deploying its naval fleet across various oceans to challenge U.S. naval dominance and assert its influence.
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