China Coveting Power Parity Joins U.S.-Led Naval Drills

After 43 years of watching the world’s largest multinational naval exercises take place off Hawaii, China has the second-largest fleet at the U.S.-led drills this year, offering it a step toward the great-power parity it seeks in the Pacific.

China’s high visibility at the five-week operations underscores a shift in foreign-policy stance away from former leader Deng Xiaoping’s maxim to “hide your brightness, bide your time.” President Xi Jinping is restructuring the military to better enable it to fight wars, and has deployed vessels into areas of the East and South China Seas disputed with neighbors.