Beijing’s Political Warfare Sets Sail in the Pacific

The message behind the deployment of the PLA Navy’s Task Force 107.

Chinese destroyer CNS Zunyi, top, frigate CNS Hengyang, middle, and replenishment ship CNS Weishanhu, bottom, transit the Tasman Sea near Australia on Feb. 22, 2025. Courtesy of the Australian Defence Department

Commentary

In the greater scheme of military exercises, it was almost minuscule in scale. Yet China’s Task Force 107—just three ships strong—forced 49 commercial aircraft to divert from their flight routes, primarily because of a sudden warning issued over an international guard frequency only a few hours before the shooting started.