Photo Shows Chinese Ship Shadowing US and Allies in Pacific

By Ryan Chan

China News Reporter

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A Chinese spy ship was spotted shadowing a naval war game conducted by the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies earlier this month near the strategic island of Guam.

Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. 7th Fleet for further comment via email. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

Why It Matters

Guam, the westernmost U.S. territory and home to bases of the Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Navy, is a key outpost for projecting American military power in the Western Pacific. The island forms part of the Second Island Chain under a U.S. strategy that aims to keep the Chinese navy, which has steadily expanded its presence, at bay.

The naval drills featured vessels and aircraft from the U.S., Australia, India and Japan, which have formed a strategic alignment known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, amid China's growing assertiveness across the Indo-Pacific, from increased military activity around Taiwan to territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

What To Know

In a photo released on Thursday by the Destroyer Squadron 15, a surface ship unit of the 7th Fleet, the Indian frigate INS Sahyadri and the Australian frigate HMAS Ballarat were shown sailing with the U.S. destroyer USS Fitzgerald on November 13.

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The photo was taken during Malabar 25, a combined field training exercise held in and around Guam from November 10 to 18. The drill also featured the Japanese helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga, as well as a U.S. P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and a submarine.

However, a zoomed-in view of the photo reveals a vessel sailing far from the Sahyadri in the background. It was not mentioned in Destroyer Squadron 15's image caption.

Based on the silhouette of the unidentified ship, a Chinese military observer, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, told Newsweek the vessel was the Chinese Type 815A intelligence-gathering ship CNS Tianlangxing.

The Chinese spy ship was tracked passing eastward through the Osumi Strait, south of Japan's Kyushu Island, on November 8 as it entered the Philippine Sea from the East China Sea, according to a report by Japan's Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense.

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Exercise Malabar was originally conducted as a bilateral drill between the U.S. and India but later evolved to include Japan and Australia. It aims to demonstrate the four nations' combined ability to operate across the Western Pacific and Indian oceans.

Destroyer Squadron 15 said the war game improved overall interoperability among the four forces in advanced maneuvering scenarios, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, information sharing and maritime operations.

What People Are Saying

U.S. Navy Captain Dave Huljack, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15, said: "Over the past week, I have seen tremendous growth from our combined forces as they've been working side-by-side, learning from one another, and developing those person-to-person relationships."

Vice Admiral Justin Jones, Australia's Chief of Joint Operations, said: "Through complex drills in anti-submarine warfare, air defense and replenishment at sea, participating nations build the trust, interoperability and readiness needed to respond to our collective security challenges."

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said: "By promoting defense cooperation and exchange including multi-lateral exercises with allied and like-minded navies, the [Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force] continues to contribute to ensuring the peace and stability of the region as well as maintaining and strengthening the international maritime order."

India's Ministry of Defense said: "The participation of INS Sahyadri in Exercise Malabar-2025 reaffirms India's enduring partnership and its commitment to strengthening coordination, enhancing interoperability, and demonstrating a collective resolve to safeguard regional security."

What Happens Next

The Chinese navy is expected to continue spying on war games conducted by the U.S. and its allies. In its report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon said China has deployed intelligence-collection ships to monitor foreign military drills in recent years.

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