'HONG KONG—China is rapidly expanding ocean exploration in waters far beyond its shores, sending out a fleet of vessels whose research offers Beijing valuable military intelligence as it expands its naval reach and menaces U.S. allies...

In a study of 64 research and survey vessels operated by Chinese agencies, law enforcement, universities and state-owned enterprises, CSIS found more than 80% had links or showed behavior—such as visiting military ports—that suggested they were involved in “advancing Beijing’s geopolitical agenda.”

The U.S. Navy also carries out maritime surveys for military purposes, although analysts say those efforts are more clearly separated from scientific research. Under the U.N. convention, coastal states have jurisdiction over research in their exclusive economic zones, which extend 200 miles from the coast. The U.S., which recognizes but hasn’t ratified the convention, argues that military surveys are exempt and U.S. Navy oceanographic ships regularly conduct studies near China.

China appears to be moving closer to the American stance, “as they’re doing more oceanographic research without the permission of coastal states,” Dutton said...

Alarms went off again last month when China and the Cook Islands said they had entered a comprehensive partnership that includes an agreement to cooperate on oceanographic research.

The Cook Islands, a country of 15,000 people whose exclusive economic zone covers over 700,000 square miles of the South Pacific, is one of the few nations to have issued permits for deep-sea mineral exploration—a first step toward extracting minerals from the seabed.'

China has won the trade war and now working on developing the military power to obtain global hegemony to match and sustain its dominance in global trade.