Australia, New Zealand Monitor of the “Unusual” Movement of Three Chinese War Boats | Military news
Three Chinese Navy ships have outlined a course along the eastern coast of Australia in a move described as a “unusual” Minister of Defense in the country.
Australia and New Zealand follow the “unusual” presence of a group of Chinese navy navy vessels observed in international waters outside the Australian East Coast, the Ministers of Defense of the Two countries said.
Three Chinese Navy vessels – Fregat, a crusade and a supply tanker – were noticed last week at Waters off off -offanje Australia.
The warships have since set out the course, lowering them down the Australian East Coast, and it was reported that there were 150 nautical miles (278 km) east of Sydney.
“We look out for them and we will make sure we watch every move,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a television interview.
“It’s not unprecedented. But it’s an unusual event,” Marles said, emphasizing that the sailors were “not a threat” and that they were “dealing with international law.”
“And just as they have the right to be in international waters, which is what they do, we have the right to be prudent and ensure that we are overseeing them, what we do,” he added.
Defense Minister of New Zealand Judith Collins told Radio in New Zealand that her country’s defense forces also oversee Chinese ships.
“The Chinese government did not inform us why this working group was deployed to our region, and we were not informed by its future plans,” Collins said.
“We’ll continue to monitor these vessels,” she said.
The appearance of vessels comes after Australia and China traded in an incident last week between a Chinese fighter jet and an Australian military aircraft.
Canberra reprimanded Beijing of “uncertain” military behavior, accusing Chinese jet of throwing flashes near the Australian Air Force aircraft patrolling in the South Chinese Sea. Beijing quickly returned, accusing the Australian plane of “breach of Chinese sovereignty and threatening Chinese national security.”
The incident was the last in a series of tense encounters between China and Australia in an increasingly challenging airspace and the Asian -Pacific region’s shipbates.
The Chinese jet was accused of intercepting the Australian helicopter Seahawk in the international airspace in 2024, throwing flashes over his flight path.
In 2023, the Chinese destroyer was charged with bombarding the submerged divers of the Australian Navy with the Sonar Impulses in the waters outside Japan, which caused minor injuries.
