China’s defence and security presence beyond the First Island Chain is no longer an abstract concern; it’s now a defining feature of the Indo-Pacific strategic environment. Across the Southwest Pacific, Indian Ocean and Australia’s maritime approaches, Beijing is steadily building a pattern of access, presence and influence that’s reshaping regional security dynamics.

Part 3 of Pressure Points details how and why China is expanding its security engagement across these regions, the tools and actions it’s using, and what this means for regional states. What emerges is a pattern of engagement that blends military power, paramilitary forces, policing cooperation and civilian capabilities. Too often democracies and smaller nations assess those activities, often described as hybrid or grey-zone, as below acts of war and struggle to deter them. But, together, those tools enable China to build familiarity with operating environments, deepen relationships with regional partners, normalise its presence, and pursue strategic objectives far from home waters.

Part 3 also unpacks the evolving landscape of the Indo-Pacific. It maps China’s activities, analyses regional responses, and considers how current trends may develop in the years ahead. The central question isn’t whether China will be present across the Indo-Pacific, but how that presence will shape the region’s future security order.