The US surpasses China in naval strength even without the support of Australia and the UK. At the same time, in the event of a war, a collision is likely to take place near the Chinese coast, which gives the Celestial Empire some head start.
The military alliance AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States), created in September this year, declared its goal to "protect and defend common interests in the Indo-Pacific region." At the same time, analysts agree that the new military alliance was created to counter the influence of the People's Republic of China — in particular, its claims to disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Disputed waters in the South China Sea. If China implements its plans, then the entire sea will become the internal waters of the PRC
Image source: hcabarbieri.it
To understand the size of the Chinese fleet, you can use a somewhat outdated, but still relevant infographic based on the Global Firepower database. China is inferior to the United States in terms of total tonnage and the number of "heavy" combat units, while outpacing them in terms of the total number of coastal fleets.
Comparison of the number of fleets of the USA and China
Image source: thesun.co.uk
Portal janes.com I compared the latest data on the main forces of the US Navy, Australia and the UK, as well as China. The United States is significantly ahead of its opponent in the number of aircraft carriers, destroyers and nuclear submarines, while China takes the number of frigates and corvettes, which can be very useful for protecting the coast. The fleets of Australia and Great Britain pale against the background of the two hegemonic countries, but they can provide support and make a significant contribution to the alignment of forces. At the same time, some critics of this infographic point out that it does not take into account China's missile boats, which can also prove to be a formidable force in the event of a collision in the South China Sea.
Comparison of the fleets of the AUKUS Alliance and China
Image source: janes.com