OPINION | Expanding frontiers: China's military push beyond the first island chain

China’s push beyond the first island chain

For much of the past decade, analysis of China’s military rise has focused on its actions within the first island chain. Yet beyond this immediate theatre, a quieter but significant shift is underway. Beijing is expanding its defence and security engagement across three interconnected regions: the Southwest Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Australia’s maritime approaches.

This outward push reflects a strategy. Rather than seeking rapid breakthroughs or dramatic shows of force, China is pursuing a long-term effort to extend operational reach, build familiarity, and shape regional environments in ways that favour its interests. The goal is not to displace the United States or its partners overnight but to challenge the status quo and ensure that China’s military and paramilitary presence becomes a normalised feature of the Indo-Pacific security landscape.

At the centre of this effort is the modernisation of China’s navy. Over the past two decades, the People's Liberation Army Navy has evolved from a largely near-seas force into a highly sophisticated navy capable of sustained blue-water operations.

Regular deployments into the Indian Ocean for counter-piracy missions, long-range task group operations, and increasingly complex exercises demonstrate a growing capacity to operate far from China’s shores. These capabilities underpin Beijing’s ability to maintain a persistent, if still carefully calibrated, presence across the wider Indo-Pacific.

But naval power alone does not define China’s approach. Beijing increasingly relies on a layered toolkit that combines military, paramilitary and civilian instruments. The China Coast Guard, now the world’s largest, plays a central role in projecting presence while maintaining a law-enforcement narrative. Maritime militia vessels, research ships, and survey ships further expand China’s reach, often operating in ways that are difficult to categorise as purely civilian or military.