SYDNEY -- The unexpected voyage of a Chinese naval task force around Australia in February and March, marked by live-fire drills that disrupted airline flights to and from New Zealand, highlighted Beijing's growing ability to project military power far from its shores -- and Canberra's limited ability to respond.
Most of the Royal Australian Navy's aging diesel-electric submarines were out of service at the time as were both tankers that could have refueled vessels shadowing the Chinese ships.
