The Chinese navy recently sent one of its newest warships into the South Pacific as Beijing and Washington continue to compete for influence in the region.

The Pacific Defence Monitor, an Australian website that tracks military and security developments in the Pacific Ocean, reported the arrival of the Chinese Type 055 destroyer CNS Xianyang and the Type 052DL destroyer CNS Nanning at Port Vila, capital of the island nation of Vanuatu, on Oct. 21.

The Chinese navy’s first Type 055 destroyer was commissioned in 2020, and the Xianyang, which entered service in March 2023, is the eighth of the class. This is the first known deployment of a Type 055 to the South Pacific.

The Chinese Embassy in Vanuatu said in a statement to the Pacific Defense Monitor, “The Chinese naval vessels have arrived in Port Vila with the prior approval and acceptance of Vanuatu’s government. The purpose of this technical stop (is) to (provide) fuel, water and food supply, and rest (for the) crew.”

Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser that “China is very much in a phase now of demonstrating its growing military capabilities — especially naval — to a global audience.”

“The port call helps to socialize Chinese naval presence in the South Pacific as China works to strengthen its relations with Pacific Island countries,” Sora said. “Sending warships into the region is a step towards potentially establishing a more permanent, or at least more frequent, military presence. It’s intended to challenge Western powers and demonstrates both increased Chinese strategic intent and access into the South Pacific.”

The Chinese military isn’t a complete stranger to the Pacific islands. The Chinese military previously participated in exercise Rim of the Pacific in Hawaii in 2014 and 2016. In 2016 three Chinese Navy ships continued from Hawaii after RIMPAC to visit San Diego. China was slated to return to RIMPAC in 2018 but was disinvited as relations between Beijing and Washington soured.

Chinese military hospital ships offering medical assistance have lately made periodic visits to island nations in the South Pacific. Chinese intelligence-gathering ships also make regular voyages.

Lukas Filler, a professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Waikiki, said that the so-far rare port call by Chinese warships in the South Pacific is “not super alarming, but it is a tangible sign of China’s taking another step forward and increased presence and influence in the region.”

In recent years China has invested heavily in Pacific island nations through its Belt and Road Initiative, a series of Chinese government-­backed infrastructure projects aimed at promoting trade. The BRI has drawn criticism from some observers who charge that China is using “debt trap” diplomacy meant to lure and force countries into a subservient relationship with Beijing, though experts like Filler are skeptical of debt trap narratives.

“I don’t think that’s a thing,” Filler said. “But that’s not to say that the Belt and Road is totally safe and innocent. There’s certainly ways that China is both overtly, and not so overtly, trying to leverage it for influence.”

‘A lever of influence’

Some analysts have suggested that the BRI’s focus on port facilities and airstrips is part of a “dual use” strategy that would open countries not just to trade, but to Chinese military and intelligence assets. Chinese officials have flatly denied the investments have any military or intelligence-­gathering aspects.

“China does not telegraph its strategic intentions,” Sora said. “While China emphasises that its investments are aimed at mutual economic development, the arrival of military vessels reveals a dual-purpose strategy. It indicates that economic investments also facilitate military and strategic objectives.”

Along with the overt investment, Chinese officials made a series of covert agreements in the Pacific. In 2022 a secret agreement between China and the Solomon Islands was leaked to the media, revealing provisions that allowed Chinese security forces to operate in the country and called for logistical support for Chinese ships.

This year Kiribati — another BRI member — confirmed reports that Chinese police forces are now operating in the island nation.

“We’re likely to see increased Chinese military activity in the Pacific as part of its broader goal to become a global maritime power,” Sora said. “This could include more frequent port visits, joint exercises with local forces, and potentially the establishment of logistical hubs — something China’s secret security pact with Solomon Islands makes provision for.”

But Filler said an increase in Chinese military operations across the region — and the globe — is to be expected. As China’s economy grows, so does its global interests.

“China uses United States as the example, the increasing distance of not just its operational deployment and its training, which is for sure happening, but also its defense diplomacy,” he explained, noting that for deployments like this “the U.S. would do it. It’s intended to signal growing capacity, growing presence and growing commitment.”

The Chinese navy is now the world’s largest by hull, with 370 vessels. China now officially maintains a naval base in the African nation of Djibouti, has begun basing ships in Cambodia and has established more covert military operations in Cuba and reportedly in Tajikistan.

Filler said that Beijing sees its military as a vital tool, explaining that Chinese leaders are “using the military as a lever of influence to support its political and economic goals.”

Competition

The U.S. also has been trying to increase engagement in Pacific island nations, including Vanuatu.

In 2023 air crews based out of U.S. Coast Guard Station Barbers Point flew to Vanuatu to deliver aid in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Lola. This year the U.S. Navy sent ships participating in the annual Pacific Partnership — a deployment focused on humanitarian assistance — to Vanuatu, and the U.S. State Department opened a new embassy in the island nation.

The U.S. military is also looking to increase access and reestablish permanent bases in Micronesia.

Sora concedes that countries around the world regularly send military ships on long-range patrols and to visit other countries for varied reasons. But he argued that secret agreements in the Pacific — as well as the Chinese military’s increasingly aggressive tactics in the South China Sea — should be taken into account when watching where Chinese warships go and what they do.

“While it’s common for nations to project power through naval operations, concerns about China’s activities often stem from broader issues like transparency, adherence to international laws, and regional security implications,” Sora said. “Expressing concern isn’t necessarily hypocritical if it’s based on specific actions that militarize or destabilise the region, and challenge established norms. Compare this increasing militarization in the South Pacific with what’s happening in the South China Sea — no Pacific country wants to experience that level of increased strategic tension and its associated risks.”

Pacific island leaders already have watched closely — and sometimes warily — as the U.S. military works to reestablish bases in several Pacific island nations. China’s recent moves are also being watched carefully.

On Sept. 25 the Chinese military launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that flew 7,400 miles before splashing down in the south of Hawaii, near the island nation of Kiribati. It was the first known of its kind by China in more than 40 years.

Shortly after, China said that it had notified “relevant” countries of the launch. But on Oct. 7, Kiribati said it had not been notified of the launch, and in a social media post said, “Kiribati does not welcome China’s recent ICBM test. … We appeal to all countries involved in weapon testing to stop these acts to maintain world peace and stability.”

“As China takes what it believes to be the privileges and the role of a major power, it should also be taking on the responsibility if it’s going to increase its military actions and presence globally,” Filler said. “If (the Chinese military is) out in that region, there is no shortage of jobs for security, whether it’s (fighting) illegal fishing or search and rescue. If they’re out there, they should be out there helping and contributing to everyone else who’s out there.”