The Chinese Navy's presence in the Middle East involves 6 'highly capable vessels' stationed in the theater, military expert says

• The Chinese navy has deployed "six highly capable vessels" to the Middle East, says RAND's Bryden Spurling.
• He told Newsweek that the ships "reflect the rapid growth in the sophistication" of China's navy.
• But he added that China still "has a long way to go" before it can match the US. 

China's navy has deployed "six highly capable vessels" to the Middle East, a feat that "a lot of countries in the world could not manage," says Bryden Spurling, a researcher with the RAND think tank.