By Wu Ciaoxi | 2025-12-04

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned that China is projecting military power deeper into the Pacific, describing the lack of transparency in the region as "worrying."

Her comments came as Acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed that Australia is monitoring a flotilla of Chinese naval ships in the Philippine Sea.

Wong spoke out in Canberra on December 2 in her Lt. Col. Ralph Honner Leadership Oration, which this year coincided with the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s independence. Underscoring shared Pacific security priorities, her speech set the stage for new satellite images that reveal the scale and armament of the Chinese naval group in question.

"China continues to assert its strategic influence, including through economic and security means, and is more frequently projecting its military power further into our region," Wong said, according to her official website.

"We see the worrying pace of China's military buildup, without the transparency that the region expects," she said.

She invoked the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration, issued by the Pacific Islands Forum in September, that "called on the international community to respect sovereignty and Pacific-led approaches."

New satellite imagery, gathered by Starboard Maritime Intelligence, confirmed the task group is operating roughly 260 nautical miles east of the Philippines in international waters, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on December 2.

Surveillance of the flotilla is continuing in international waters, Marles told ABC.

Australia speaks "very closely with our friends and allies," he said.

A significant force

Starboard described the task group as a "significant projection of power," assessing that it is moving southeast and has unclear longer-range purposes.

The flotilla includes a landing helicopter dock, a destroyer, a frigate and a refueling vessel, according to Starboard. The landing ship is "capable of hosting up to 30 helicopters and approximately 1,000 marines for operations ranging from humanitarian relief to amphibious landings," it said.

The Chinese frigate will be "looking for submarines that might be monitoring the task group," Mark Douglas, a Starboard analyst, told ABC.

The replenishment vessel is functioning as a "mobile logistics hub, carrying over 11,000 tons of fuel and dry stores," Starboard said.

With a cruising range of more than 10,000 nautical miles, the flotilla can "transit around major landmasses like Australia without entering port," Starboard noted.

Such deployments are "rare," former Australian naval officer Jennifer Parker, now an expert associate at National Security College of Australian National University in Canberra, told ABC.

"This is another example of the increased expeditionary deployment of China's blue-water navy," she said. Two earlier operations by the Chinese navy, one near Alaska in 2024 and a circumnavigation of Australia in 2025, did not involve large amphibious vessels, she added.

There is "no indication based on their location, course and speed that they are presently heading to Australia," she said of the flotilla.

Australian engagement with Pacific nations

Australia has been countering China's attempts to extend power and influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Australia has committed 2.157 billion AUD ($1.41 billion) in development assistance and 1.3 billion AUD ($850 million) in climate finance to Pacific countries, positioning itself as a reliable partner amid global aid uncertainty, said Wong in her speech.

As of now, China maintains diplomatic ties with 11 Pacific Island states, while three South Pacific nations retain ties to Taiwan.

Unified front is essential

Pacific Island nations must present a unified front on security to counter China's growing regional influence, said Wong in her speech.

Wong pointed out other pressure points that China exploits, including "disinformation, interference, and cyberattacks."

Marles also addressed the need for uniting against Chinese misbehavior.

Speaking about the AUKUS security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, Marles said in Canberra on December 4 that Washington remains "completely supportive of" the alliance.

The Australian government received the Pentagon's review of AUKUS and is studying it, Marles said, according to Bloomberg.

AUKUS enables Australia to acquire nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines and expand cooperation on advanced defense technologies across the Indo-Pacific, Bloomberg reported.

Washington, London and Canberra formed AUKUS in 2021 to counter Chinese military and economic influence.

In another effort to strengthen its military, the Australian government December 1 announced a new Defense Delivery Agency. A national armaments director will lead the agency and "advise the government on strategies for acquisitions and the delivery of projects after they have been approved," The Conversation news site reported.