Australia PM on Chinese spy ship

by Veronika Desai Maketing Manager

The threat from Beijing is highlighted by the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison who stated that reports of a Chinese spy vessel passing Australia's coast earlier in the year highlight the "very serious" situation in the Indo-Pacific.

After reports in the UK claimed that the Chinese vessel was seen circling Australia's coast for 3 weeks in August and September. The vessel, which is capable of collecting electronic intelligence, passed sensitive military installations.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the Chinese vessel capable of monitoring radar signals and communications was a Dongdiao class ship. Similar to the one that monitored military exercises between Australia and the US earlier in the year, it is identical.

Morrison, who spoke to reporters in Adelaide on Friday, said that the Chinese Navy presence - which was known and that they were keeping an eye on us and that we were also keeping an eye on them - is important because it highlights the serious situation in the Indo-Pacific.

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"They are entitled to be wherever they want. We knew they were there. They can be there according to international maritime laws. Don't mistakenly think that we didn't keep an eye out for them, as they were trying to keep one on us.

Australia must be strong, Morrison said. He said that he has been criticized for his strong stance on the issue.

According to the UK publication, the ship reached Australia's exclusive economic zone of 200 km off the coast of Darwin in August. The ship then slowly headed south, hugging its coastline.

According to reports, it monitored several important military training areas while traveling as far south as Sydney before crossing the Tasman towards New Zealand.

According to reports in Australian publications, China routinely sends spy vessels to monitor military exercises close to Australia. This includes in 2017 and 2019. The latest appearance was however reportedly unusual because there weren't any war games or exercises taking place.

Peter Dutton, the Australian Defence Minister, confirmed the sighting of the Chinese vessel and said that "they didn’t break any laws". It wasn't the first time. You're probably aware that the PLA had also deployed vessels there during Operation Talisman Sabre. This was a large training exercise off the Queensland coast. He explained that they would be involved in intelligence collection and signals collection." he said to Nine's Today.