Speculation has been rife ever since three Chinese warships docked in Sydney Harbour earlier this week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted the trip was "no surprise" despite the government not publicly announcing the visit.

What the PM didn't announce was an apparent military-level baby formula raid.

Dressed from head to toe in their camouflage uniforms, officers from the People’s Liberation Army couldn't avoid the cameras as they loaded boxes of Aptamil and A2 baby formula onto their warships.

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The extraordinary photo, published in The Australian, has unsurprisingly caused a stir on social media.

Play Video A man has filmed a group of people bulk buying baby formula in a supermarket, they weren't too pleased with this and attempted to hide their identities. A man has filmed a group of people bulk buying baby formula in a supermarket, they weren't too pleased with this and attempted to hide their identities.

The Australian-made formula has been in hot demand by Chinese nationals after contamination to their own product ultimately led to the death of several children in recent years.

Frustrated Australian shoppers have been filming baby formula raids for years, with Chinese shoppers often caught working in teams to beat the limitations put in place by supermarkets.

Premium products can fetch more than six-times the price overseas, with some "daigou" shoppers revealing they can earn up to $100,000 a year by reselling the formula online.