Chinese warships have again been spotted off ‘s east coast in what experts have described as a warning from Beijing.
Two n navy ships trailed the Chinese naval task group 150 nautical miles, about 277 kilometres, 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’s the second time within a week the Chinese warships have been spotted off ‘s coast.
The n Defence Force (ADF) confirmed last Thursday that officials were monitoring a People’s Liberation Army-Navy frigate, cruiser and replenishment vessel in the Coral Sea.
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 ‘.
‘Defence routinely monitors all maritime traffic in our Exclusive Economic Zone and maritime approaches,’ it said.
‘The vessels travelled through Southeast Asia, before entering ‘s maritime approaches. One of the vessels, the Hengyang, transited the waters to ‘s north.
‘ 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 ‘s right to do the same.
‘Defence will continue to monitor the activities of the task group in ‘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 n naval officer said the latest sighting should serve as a warning to .
‘It is of course sending a message to ‘s about the PLA-N’s capability,’ UNSW Canberra adjunct fellow Jennifer Parker told The n.
‘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 should invest in a strong navy.’
Defence Minister Richard Marles last week said the government was ‘responding in a serious way’ to the presence of the military ships, even though China was ‘perfectly in accordance with international law’.
‘I’ve ordered a deployment of both navy and air force assets to make sure that we are shadowing this to have a clear understanding of what’s going on,’ he said.
More to come.