China’s naval activity in the Middle East shows Beijing is practicing deploying forces in distant theaters, said Brayden Sperling, a senior fellow at the European office of the RAND Corporation.
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| Chinese naval fleets No. 44 and 45 hold farewell ceremonies in the Gulf of Aden. (Source: China Military Online) |
In an interview with Newsweek on October 27, Mr. Sperling, a senior expert at the European office of the RAND research organization, said that China has invested significant resources in developing its fleet, significantly increasing its size, which is why the US recognizes the Chinese Navy as " the world's largest naval force in terms of numbers" with 370 ships and submarines.
According to Mr. Sperling, the Middle East is currently witnessing the presence of six Chinese Navy fleets belonging to Task Forces 44 and 45, each with one destroyer, one frigate and one corvette.
While the ships lack the combat experience of other maritime powers, they are capable and reflect the rapid technological advancement of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, the RAND analyst noted. “Having six combat-ready ships now is a deployment that many countries around the world cannot afford,” Sperling said.
However, the expert pointed out that the two US carrier strike groups in the Eastern Mediterranean have more ships and are “more powerful”, especially when considering the number of escort aircraft. “The network of bases and partnerships that the US has around the world, as well as its experience operating on a global scale, still far exceeds what China can do at present,” he said.
According to him, the Chinese Navy's activities in the region are linked to routine missions, but the deployment of the ships also shows that Beijing is practicing deploying forces in distant battlefields. However, he assessed that the movement of these ships is not related to the escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Earlier, Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US Liu Pengyu in a statement to Sputnik called for an end to the groundless hype about the deployment of Chinese warships to the Middle East in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The deployment of Chinese warships in the region is part of routine escort missions and friendly visits to the region.
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