Australia is closely monitoring Chinese military ships traversing waters off its coast, according to Richard Marles, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense. Marles mentioned in an interview that the Chinese ships have been abiding by international law, although he characterized the situation as unusual but not unprecedented.
Marles emphasized that while the Chinese ships have the right to be in international waters, Australia also has the right to surveil them. The Australian Department of Defense confirmed the presence of a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) task group, including a Jiangkai-class frigate named Hengyang, a Renhai cruiser named Zunyi, and a Fuchi-class replenishment vessel named Weishanhu.
The vessels were reported to have traveled through Southeast Asia before entering Australia’s maritime approaches. Australia's navy was reported to be shadowing the Chinese vessels 150 nautical miles east of Sydney, while New Zealand's military was monitoring the situation in coordination with Australia.
New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins expressed uncertainty about the purpose of the Chinese task group in the region, stating that they had not been informed by the Chinese government about the vessels' deployment or future plans. She affirmed that both countries would continue to monitor the Chinese vessels.
In a separate incident, a Chinese fighter plane engaged in an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in the South China Sea. The PLA-AF J-16 fighter aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF aircraft, posing a risk to the aircraft and personnel. Fortunately, no harm was caused to the Australian plane or Defense Force personnel during the incident.
