ANALYSIS – This is something the United States would not have had to face just 5-10 years ago – a small armada of Chinese warships in the Middle East.
Yet, thanks to a relentless and massive naval buildup in recent years, along with the willingness and ability to deploy far from the Chinese homeland, here we are with new Chinese warships operating near American forces.
While not a significant threat to the two U.S. carrier strike groups or Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) task force in the Eastern Mediterranean, this Chinese flotilla may complicate U.S. operations if the current war between Israel and Hamas escalates.
China has clearly taken sides against Israel.
On October 19, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's pro-Palestinian stance by calling for a cease-fire and reiterating that establishing “an independent state of Palestine” through a two-state solution is the “fundamental way out of” the conflict.
“The top priority is to stop the fighting as soon as possible, prevent the conflict from spreading or even getting out of control and causing a severe humanitarian crisis,” Xi said.
China has been reluctant to publicly condemn Hamas for the attack on Israel, which drew criticisms from Jerusalem and Washington. As the Israeli military ramped up airstrikes against Gaza, Beijing has toughened its criticism of Israel.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently stated that: “Israel is acting beyond the scope of self-defense.”
The Chinese ships in the region, which now include two frigates and two guided missile destroyers, are part of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) 44th naval task force, which had been conducting escort duties for commercial shipping since arriving in the Gulf of Aden north of Somalia six months ago.
But earlier this month, the 45th escort task force arrived to relieve the 44th, and now both are operating in the area. The 44th recently departed Muscat, Oman, where it had conducted a ‘goodwill' visit of several days.
Its current destination in the region is unknown.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the 44th “task force is from the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theatre, and it includes the Zibo, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, the frigate Jingzhou and the integrated supply ship Qiandaohu.”
The Zibo was commissioned in 2020.
The replacement force, the 45th, is from the PLA's Northern Theatre command, consists of another Type 052 destroyer, the Urumqi, the frigate Linyi and supply ship Dongpinghu.
The Urumqi became operational in 2018.
Type 052D destroyers carry advanced radar and electronic equipment comparable to the US Aegis system and a 64-cell vertical missile launcher.
These forward-deployed Chinese naval forces are part of China's bigger effort to create a blue water navy with global reach, as I have written about previously.
While China hasn't announced any evacuation plans yet, as SCMP notes, prior Chinese evacuations in the Middle East have used ships similar to the ones currently in the region.
SCMP adds that:
In May, China sent a supply ship and a Type 052D destroyer to Sudan to evacuate more than 1,000 Chinese, Brazilians and Pakistanis from armed conflicts.
In 2015, Chinese warships evacuated 225 foreigners and nearly 600 Chinese nationals from Yemen.
China is aware of its limited influence on the Israel-Hamas war. However, in addition to potentially evacuating Chinese citizens from the region, Beijing may be interested in using its naval assets to deliver humanitarian aid.
Still, U.S. forces are likely to be keeping an eye on the Chinese warships, just in case.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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