Canberra: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles has confirmed that Australian naval and air forces are working in close coordination with New Zealand’s military to track a Chinese naval task force moving southward off Australia’s eastern coastline. The opposition has criticized China’s actions, describing them as “provocative.”
According to the Australian Defence Department, the task force—comprising a frigate, a cruiser, and a supply ship—continues to be monitored as it travels within Australia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Reports from the UK’s Financial Times, citing American analysts, described the flotilla’s presence approximately 150 nautical miles (277km) east of Sydney as an "unprecedented" display of China's naval power projection.
The Chinese vessels were initially observed in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland. The Defence Minister noted that one of the ships, a Jiangkai-class guided missile frigate, had temporarily separated from the group, passing through the Torres Strait before rejoining the formation inside Australia's EEZ. Chinese media reports indicate that the flotilla had earlier conducted a "real-combat" exercise in the Pacific.
Speaking in Brisbane, Mr Marles acknowledged that China’s movements were within international law and did not violate Australian territorial waters. However, he emphasized that Australia would continue to monitor the situation closely.
“Australia is entitled to be prudent, and we are closely observing the task group’s activities,” Mr Marles stated. He refrained from speculating on the mission's objective but assured that a thorough assessment would be conducted once the operation concluded.
While he admitted the Chinese deployment was "unusual," he rejected claims that it was unprecedented.
New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins also confirmed that her country's military was keeping a watchful eye on the task force in cooperation with Australia.
“We have received no explanation from the Chinese government about this deployment or their future plans,” she said in a brief statement.
Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie criticized the government's handling of the situation, questioning whether Mr Marles had made any diplomatic efforts to raise concerns with his Chinese counterpart.
“The Chinese military has developed a blue-water navy and is now testing us and our allies in the region,” Hastie said. “This is not merely ‘unusual’—it is provocative.”
Diplomatic sources suggest that the Chinese naval activity may coincide with the visit of Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, to Canberra this week.
This development follows a recent incident involving an Australian surveillance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet in the South China Sea, although the Defence Department stated the two events are unrelated.
In 2019, three Chinese warships docked in Sydney Harbour following their Middle Eastern deployment. However, the Morrison government did not publicly disclose the visit in advance.
