China, which has built the world's largest naval and coast guard fleets by hull count, is expanding its presence at sea, including deploying research vesselsand spy ships in the Indian Ocean, a region that its nuclear rival, India, regards as its sphere of influence.
Given that aircraft carriers are a symbol of its military strength, the U.K. sent HMS Prince of Wales and its strike group to the Indo-Pacific region in April, during which time it transited the South China Sea, where China has sweeping claims of sovereignty.
