A Chinese surveillance ship is currently operating off the coast of Hawaii, keeping tabs on the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise that it was disinvited to over Beijing's moves in the disputed South China Sea.
The People's Liberation Army Navy's auxiliary general intelligence ship has reportedly been operating in international waters off the coast of Hawaii since Wednesday.
"The U.S. Pacific Fleet has been monitoring a Chinese navy surveillance ship in the vicinity of Hawaii," U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman Tim Gorman told The Japan Times on Saturday. "We expect the ship will remain outside of U.S. territorial seas and not operate in a manner that disrupts the Rim of the Pacific exercise."