China has deployed a naval ship to the South Pacific and Latin America—a region regarded as the doorstep of the United States—for medical and cultural missions.

China's naval mission, code-named Harmony 2025, begins as tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela continue to rise. The Pentagon has deployed warships and fighter aircraft in the southern Caribbean as it steps up its war on narco-terrorists.

Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon and Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment via email.

Why It Matters

As part of its military buildup, China operates the world's largest navy by hull count, with more than 370 ships and submarines in service, including three oceangoing hospital ships assigned to the Northern, Eastern and Southern Theater Commands. The Chinese navy helps Beijing exp

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