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Chinese warships have again been spotted off Australia’s east coast in what experts have described as a warning from Beijing.
Two Australian navy ships trailed the Chinese naval task group 150 nautical miles, about 277 kilometer’s, off Sydney on Wednesday.
The sighting is the furthest down the east coast that Chinese ships have sailed without being on an official port visit.
It issued a rare statement last Thursday, saying it was ‘aware of a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) task group operating to the north east of Australia’.
‘Defence routinely monitors all maritime traffic in our Exclusive Economic Zone and maritime approaches,’ it said.
‘The vessels travelled through Southeast Asia, before entering Australia’s maritime approaches. One of the vessels, the Hengyang, transited the waters to Australia’s north.
‘Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, just as we expect others to respect Australia’s right to do the same.
‘Defence will continue to monitor the activities of the task group in Australia’s maritime approaches with a combination of capabilities, including air and maritime assets.’
However, the ADF did not share news the Chinese military vessels had travelled south.
While the ships are not in breach of international law, former Australian naval officer said the latest sighting should serve as a warning to Australia.
‘It is of course sending a message to Australia’s about the PLA-N’s capability,’ UNSW Canberra adjunct fellow Jennifer Parker told The Australian.
‘We must become accustomed to these kind of operations. The lesson here is China has a bluewater capability, a point we already knew.
‘In the event of crisis or conflict, we should expect more operations in our region and likely interdiction of our maritime trade. This is why Australia should invest in a strong navy.’
