logo
Australian, New Zealand militaries monitor 3 Chinese warships off Australia

Australian, New Zealand militaries monitor 3 Chinese warships off Australia

Arab Times20-02-2025

MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb 20, (AP): The Australian and New Zealand militaries were monitoring three Chinese warships moving unusually far south along Australia's east coast on an unknown mission, officials said Thursday. The Australian government revealed a week ago that the warships had traveled through Southeast Asia and the Coral Sea and were approaching northeast Australia.
Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday that the Chinese ships - the naval frigate Hengyang, cruiser Zunyi and replenishment vessel Weishanhu - were "off the east coast of Australia.' Defense officials did not respond to a request for comment on a Financial Times report that the task group from China's military, the People's Liberation Army, was 150 nautical miles (278 kilometers) east of Sydney.
"There is no doubt that this is, not unprecedented, but an unusual event,' Marles told Sky News television. Marles said Australian navy ships and air force planes were monitoring the Chinese ships' movements through international waters that are in Australia's exclusive economic zone, the area beyond its territorial waters where a nation has exclusive economic rights.
"They're entitled to be where they are; Australia is also entitled to be prudent and we are monitoring very closely what the activities of the task group are,' Marles told reporters. "What we will do whenever this mission is over on the part of the Chinese task group is engage in a full assessment of what the Chinese were seeking to achieve in respect of this mission,' he added.
In Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun was asked at a media briefing on Wednesday about the Chinese warships' location and replied he was not aware of the situation. The Chinese Embassy in Australia did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Marles said Australia had engaged with its nearest neighbor Papua New Guinea over its response because the Chinese had traveled around the South Pacific island nation's coast on their way to Australia's exclusive economic zone.
Australia was also "working very closely' with New Zealand, which is separated from the Australian east coast by the Tasman Sea, he said. New Zealand's military was also monitoring the Chinese ships by sea and air "in coordination with Australia,' New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.
"We have not been informed by the Chinese government why this task group has been deployed into our region, and we have not been informed what its future plans are,' she added. "We will continue to monitor these vessels.' Jennifer Parker, an expert associate of Australia's National Security College and a former Australian naval officer, said Chinese warships rarely traveled so far south along the nation's east coast. "This is part of a broader power projection from the PLA-Navy and we should expect to see more of this in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean,' Parker said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bitter row deepened by export curbs
Bitter row deepened by export curbs

Kuwait Times

time5 hours ago

  • Kuwait Times

Bitter row deepened by export curbs

LONDON: The United States and China began a second day of trade talks on Tuesday, seeking to shore up a shaky tariff truce in a bitter row deepened by export curbs. The gathering of key officials from the world's two biggest economies began Monday in London, after an earlier round of talks in Geneva last month. Stock markets wavered as investors hoped the talks will bring some much-needed calm on trading floors and ease tensions between the economic superpowers. A US Treasury spokesman told AFP on Tuesday the "talks resumed earlier this" morning. One of US President Donald Trump's top advisers said he expected "a big, strong handshake" at the end of the talks in the historic Lancaster House, operated by the UK foreign ministry. Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday: "We are doing well with China. China's not easy. "I'm only getting good reports." The agenda is expected to be dominated by exports of rare earth minerals used in a wide range of things including smartphones, electric vehicle batteries and green technology. "In Geneva, we had agreed to lower tariffs on them, and they had agreed to release the magnets and rare earths that we need throughout the economy," Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, told CNBC on Monday. But even though Beijing was releasing some supplies, "it was going a lot slower than some companies believed was optimal", he added. Still, he said he expected "a big, strong handshake" at the end of the talks. "Our expectation is that after the handshake, any export controls from the US will be eased, and the rare earths will be released in volume," Hassett added. He also said the Trump administration might be willing to ease some recent curbs on tech exports. Concessions? Tensions between Washington and Beijing have heightened since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariffs war hiking duties on each other's exports to three figures - an effective trade embargo. The Geneva pact to cool tensions temporarily brought new US tariffs on Chinese goods down from 145 percent to 30 percent, and Chinese countermeasures from 125 percent to 10 percent. But Trump recently said China had "totally violated" the deal. "Investors are willing to grab on to any positive trade headline right now, as this is keeping hopes of a rally alive," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at the Swissquote Bank, said that although there had been "no breakthrough" it seemed "the first day of the second round of negotiations reportedly went relatively well". "Rumors are circulating that the US may be willing to make concessions on tech exports in exchange for China easing restrictions on rare earth metal exports," she said. Rare earth shipments from China to the US have slowed since the tariff war was triggered by Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" announcements, according to Brooks. The US leader slapped sweeping levies of 10 percent on friend and foe alike, and threatened steeper rates on dozens of economies. The tariffs have already had a sharp effect, with official figures from Beijing showing Chinese exports to the United States in May plunged by 12.7 percent. China is also in talks with other trading partners - including Japan and South Korea - to try to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs. Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung to work with Beijing to uphold free trade to ensure "the stability and smooth functioning of global and regional industrial and supply chains." "A healthy, stable, and continuously deepening China–South Korea relationship aligns with the trend of the times," Xi said in a phone call, according to the Xinhua news agency. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is heading the team in London, which included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and China International Trade Representative Li Chenggang. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation.- AFP

Turkey to export 48 of its nationally produced fighter jets to Indonesia
Turkey to export 48 of its nationally produced fighter jets to Indonesia

Arab Times

time12 hours ago

  • Arab Times

Turkey to export 48 of its nationally produced fighter jets to Indonesia

ANKARA, Turkey, June 11, (AP): Turkey will export 48 of its nationally-produced KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday, marking the first export deal for the advanced aircraft that is still in the development stage. Erdogan said in an X post that the 48 KAAN fighter jets would be manufactured in Turkey and exported to Indonesia, adding that Indonesia's "local capabilities' would be integrated into the production process. The Turkish leader didn't elaborate or disclose the financial details of the agreement. The deal came on the sidelines of the defense industry exposition, Indo Defence 2025, in Jakarta, Turkey's Sabah newspaper reported. "This agreement showcases the progress and achievements of our domestic and national defense industry,' Erdogan said. He also praised Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for his role in securing the agreement. Turkey's first indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN successfully completed its maiden flight in 2024. Its first units are expected to be delivered in 2028. The deal came amid growing economic and defense ties between Turkey and Indonesia. Earlier this year, the two countries agreed on the joint development of a Baykar combat-drone factory in Indonesia. Pakistan and Azerbaijan, which also have strong defense ties with Turkey, are reported to be interested in purchasing KAAN fighters.

Lawmakers expelled from Greece's parliament over ties to jailed far-right politician
Lawmakers expelled from Greece's parliament over ties to jailed far-right politician

Arab Times

time16 hours ago

  • Arab Times

Lawmakers expelled from Greece's parliament over ties to jailed far-right politician

ATHENS, Greece, June 11, (AP): Three far-right lawmakers in Greece were expelled Tuesday from parliament due to ties with a jailed politician convicted of leading a criminal organization. A court found that Vasilis Stigas, the leader of the far-right Spartans party, and two other party lawmakers had misled voters in the 2023 parliamentary election. The decision comes as concerns grow among traditionally dominant political parties over the rise of far-right parties across Europe and their willingness to disrespect democratic rules. The court determined the three had effectively served as proxies for a former member of Golden Dawn, a neo-Nazi inspired party, who was sentenced in 2020 to 13 years in prison for orchestrating violent attacks against migrants and political opponents. The decision, welcomed by Greece's conservative government, will reduce the number of seats in parliament from 300 to 297 for the remainder of the legislative term through 2027. It also lowers the threshold required to pass legislation from 151 votes to 149. The Spartans party, which won 4.7% of the popular vote in 2023, has denied any affiliation with Golden Dawn and did not immediately respond to the ruling. Two remaining Spartans lawmakers will continue to serve as independents.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store