A group of ships from the Chinese Navy, including a formidable warship, legally sailing in the Tasman Sea made the alarm in Australia and New Zealand because they were in unusually southern and mission waters undeclared.
Australian officials said Thursday that they were closely monitoring ships – a cruiser, a frigate and a supply ship. They have been following them since last week, when they were detected off the northeast coast of Australia.
This week, the three ships were traveling at less than 150 naval miles from Sydney, apart from the territorial waters of Australia, but in its exclusive economic zone, according to an official of the Australian government speaking on condition of anonymity. Their presence near Sydney was reported for the first time by financial time.
The Chinese army did not publicly comment on naval ships, and the Chinese Embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comments.
Richard Marles, Minister of Defense in Australia and Vice-Prime Minister, said that ships operated in accordance with international law and that the Australian army was observing their activities from the sea and air closely. He said in a television interview That the presence of the Chinese navy in the region was “not unprecedented”, but “unusual”.
“We are closely monitoring them, and we will make sure that we look at each movement,” he said.
Chinese warships accosted in the port of Sydney in 2019, in what Prime Minister at the time called a “reciprocal visit” after the Australian naval ships visited Chinese ports. This time, Australian officials said they were in ignorance of the location of ships and their objective.
But Australia had good reasons to worry about the proximity of Chinese warships to its coast, according to Bec Strating, an expert in maritime disputes, given the recent history of the force of exercise of China in waters disputed as the Southern China Sea, and flouting maritime rules
“What is the Chinese navy doing so far south?” said Ms. Strating, who is a professor of international relations at the University of Trobe. “It would be the thing that causes anxiety. Does this collection of information really signal to Australia that the Chinese can also have a naval presence in these areas? »»
One of the ships is the class cruiser Renhai Zunyi, whom the US Naval Institute described as “Among the most formidable warships afloat. “”
Collin Koh, a principal researcher at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said that the fact that one of the most recent and powerful warships in the Chinese navy was clearly involved that the trip had been designed to send A message on the Chinese army, the popular liberation army.
“This is supposed to demonstrate naval power,” he said. “It is supposed to report to Australia and the United States, the Navy PLA will not be limited in movements and actions.”
The New Zealand Minister of Defense, Judith Collins, said on Thursday that his soldiers jointly monitored the movements of ships with Australia. She said she was concerned about the types of ships involved and by the lack of communication from China.
“I am sorry to say that things are more tense” since China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in September which landed in the Pacific Ocean, said Collins in Wellington, the capital, the capital, according to The New Zealand Herald.
Last week, an Australian maritime patrol plane had a close meeting with a Chinese fighter plane on the Southern China Sea. Australian defense forces accused the Chinese of “dangerous and non-professional” conduct, while a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Australian accused provocation and immobilization on Chinese territory.
