Chinese warships near Sydney; Australia, New Zealand alarmed

Sydney: A group of Chinese navy vessels, including a formidable warship, sailing legally in the Tasman Sea have raised alarm in Australia and New Zealand because they were in unusually southern waters and on an undeclared mission.

Australian officials said Thursday that they were closely monitoring the ships -- a cruiser, a frigate and a supply vessel. They have been tracking them since last week, when they were detected off Australia's northeast coast.

This week, the three ships were traveling within about 150 nautical miles of Sydney, outside Australia's territorial waters but within its exclusive economic zone, according to an Australian government official speaking on condition of anonymity. Their presence near Sydney was first reported by The Financial Times.

China's military has not publicly commented on the naval vessels, and the Chinese Embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comment.

Richard Marles, Australia's defense minister and deputy prime minister, said that the ships were operating in accordance with international law, and that the Australian military was closely observing their activities from the sea and from the air. He said in a television interview that the presence of the Chinese navy in the area was "not unprecedented," but "unusual."

"We are keeping close watch on them, and we will be making sure that we watch every move," he said.

Chinese warships docked at Sydney Harbor in 2019, in what the prime minister at the time called a "reciprocal visit" after Australian navy ships had visited Chinese ports. This time, Australian officials said they were in the dark about where the ships were headed and what their objective was.

But Australia had good reason to be concerned by the proximity of the Chinese warships to its coastline, according to Bec Strating, an expert on maritime disputes, given China's recent history of exerting force in disputed waters like the South China Sea, and flouting maritime rules

"What is the Chinese navy doing this far south?" said Strating, who is a professor of international relations at La Trobe University. "That would be the thing that is causing anxiety. Is this intelligence gathering, is this really just signaling to Australia that the Chinese are also able to have naval presence in these areas?"

One of the ships is the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi, which the US Naval Institute has described as "among the most formidable warships afloat."

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the fact that one of the Chinese navy's newest and most powerful warships was involved made it clear the trip was designed to send a message about China's military, the People's Liberation Army.

"It's meant to demonstrate naval power," he said. "It's meant to signal to Australia and to the US, the PLA navy is not going to be constrained in movements and actions."

New Zealand's defense minister, Judith Collins, said Thursday that its military was jointly monitoring the ships' movements with Australia. She said she was concerned by the types of ships involved and by the lack of communication from China.

"I'm sorry to say things are more tense" since China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in September that landed in the Pacific Ocean, Collins told reporters in Wellington, the capital, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Last week, an Australian maritime patrol plane had a close encounter with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. The Australian Defense Forces accused the Chinese of "unsafe and unprofessional" conduct, while a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry accused Australia of provocation and intruding into Chinese territory.