Key facts
- China's PLA Navy hospital ship Auspicious Ark visited Dakar, Senegal, on September 25.
- The Ark Silk Road, another PLA Navy hospital ship, docked in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from January 8 to 15.
- Brazil's decision to allow the Ark Silk Road to dock highlighted regional powers' responses to US-China competition.
- The Ark Silk Road is described as a face of Chinese 'smart power,' combining soft and hard power elements.
- Chinese officials reported treating thousands of patients and performing hundreds of surgeries in Fiji, Tonga, and Jamaica with the Ark Silk Road.
China's naval presence in Africa and South America is evolving beyond traditional military deployments, with hospital ships like the Auspicious Ark and Ark Silk Road serving as instruments of 'smart power.' The Auspicious Ark made its first visit to Dakar, Senegal, on September 25, presenting a public health mission rather than a typical naval deployment.
In Brazil, the Ark Silk Road's planned visit to Rio de Janeiro from January 8 to 15 generated diplomatic unease. Chinese officials initially omitted details about the mission, including its participation in Beijing's 'Harmony Mission 2025' global humanitarian naval operation. This lack of clarity raised concerns within Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Navy, particularly given the geopolitical backdrop of intensifying US-China competition.
Brazil's foreign policy faces a duality, balancing economic dependence on China with a long-standing security partnership with the United States. The situation was highlighted by the overlapping schedules of the Ark Silk Road and the US oceanographic vessel Ronald H. Brown, which was set to dock in northeastern Brazil from January 14 to 21 for a scientific mission. This coincidence positioned Brazil as a reluctant arena for US-China rivalry, though Brazilian officials expressed a desire to act as a partner to both powers without being instrumentalized.
The Ark Silk Road, described by Chinese authorities as a 'ship of hope and envoy of peace,' is a significant vessel, weighing ten thousand tons and equipped with extensive medical facilities. Chinese officials have publicized impressive statistics from its humanitarian operations in Fiji, Tonga, and Jamaica, detailing thousands of patients treated and hundreds of surgeries performed.