China’s new aircraft carrier underlines need for the Aukus pact

“China has been building a capacity over the last two decades to deny the US significant freedom of action in the western Pacific,” said Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the Rusi thinktank. “That started with long-range anti-ship missiles, but now there is a growing naval capacity – and it has reached the point where the US is only viable because it has allies in the region.”