Chinese research ships, US Navy active in north Pacific

Five Chinese research vessels, including ships used for space and missile tracking and underwater mapping, were active in the northwest Pacific in October as the United States stepped up military exercises, data from a Guam-based group shows.

Rapid militarisation in the northern Pacific receives insufficient attention, says the Pacific Center for Island Security, adding it makes island populations a potential target in any great-power conflict.

"If you look at the number of US and bilateral and multilateral exercises, there is a lot of activity," Leland Bettis, the director of the group that seeks to flag regional security risks, said in an interview.

"Is the fact that the Chinese are sending research vessels into this area to map what is effectively undersea battle space surprising? Pr