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Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Ally Sends Warship to China's Doorstep Amid Tensions
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Australia has deployed a warship in the contested South China Sea after China conducted an unprecedented naval circumnavigation of the United States' ally in the South Pacific Ocean. Canberra said Australia has a "long history" of operating in the South China Sea, where the Chinese territorial claims overlap with those of several neighbors, including the Philippines. The Chinese military responded by vowing to "resolutely safeguard" the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea while upholding peace and stability. Why It Matters From mid-February to early March, a Chinese naval task group, consisting of a destroyer, a frigate, and a replenishment ship, sailed around Australia outside its territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles [13.8 miles] from the country's coastline, in a clockwise direction. Meanwhile, on February 11, an Australian maritime patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with Chinese fighter jets over the South China Sea. Beijing asserted that the intercept was legitimate, accusing Australia of intruding into its airspace. What To Know HMAS Sydney, one of three Hobart-class air warfare destroyers in service with the Royal Australian Navy, deployed on April 3 for a three-month mission in the Indo-Pacific region, known as the Regional Presence Deployment 25-2, the Australian Defense Department said. Following the conclusion of Exercise Bersama Shield 2025, which was held in and around Malaysia from April 7 to 22, the Sydney took part in training events in the South China Sea on April 24 and 25 with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the U.S. Navy, respectively. A New Zealand P-8A maritime patrol aircraft flies over the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney on a routine surveillance flight in the South China Sea on April 24, 2025. A New Zealand P-8A maritime patrol aircraft flies over the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney on a routine surveillance flight in the South China Sea on April 24, 2025. Australian Defense Department The first training involved a New Zealand P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, while the second one was a joint sail with the U.S. littoral combat ship USS Omaha. The U.S. Navy said the sail supported a free and open Indo-Pacific and enhanced the combined force's capabilities. On Tuesday, the Australian warship joined the U.S. and the Philippine militaries for the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea, referring to the portion of the South China Sea that lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said this multilateral engagement, which involved air and maritime assets from the three countries, demonstrated "a strong commitment to regional security, interoperability, and cooperation in support of a rules-based international order." While the Sydney was transiting the Philippine waters, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted what it called "routine patrols" at an undisclosed location in the South China Sea, the Chinese military said the following day. What People Are Saying The Australian Defense Department said: "These training activities [in the South China Sea] were conducted in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ... Deployments to the region are a demonstration of Australia's resolve to support an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific." The Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said: "Recently, the Philippines has frequently violated rights at sea, provoked and caused incidents, and enlisted foreign countries to organize so-called 'joint patrols.' The Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command's naval and air forces have been on surveillance and alert throughout the whole process, and the situation is under control." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the Sydney would transit the Taiwan Strait located to the north of the South China Sea. China has declared that it has "sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction" over the waterway that separates China's mainland and the self-ruled Taiwan.
Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
China Mapping Seafloor Around US Allies to Send Nuclear Submarines-Analyst
A Chinese vessel is suspected of mapping the seafloor around U.S. allies Australia and New Zealand to support submarine deployments, an analyst has said. All observed activities conducted by the ship, Tan Suo Yi Hao, "appear to be in accordance with international law," the Australian Defense Department told Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment by email. The Tan Suo Yi Hao, which means "Discovery One" in English, is operated by the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering. It is built for conducting deep-sea exploration and is the mother ship of two types of submersibles. China is expanding its military reach and presence within and beyond the western Pacific Ocean with the largest navy in the world by hull count-which has more than 370 vessels, including 12 nuclear-powered submarines, according to the latest Pentagon assessment. Last summer, three Chinese research vessels were tracked operating in the Indian Ocean for suspected survey missions, which could be used to aid in China's submarine warfare. Both Australia and New Zealand are part of the Five Eyes, a U.S.-led intelligence alliance. The Tan Suo Yi Hao was underway in the southeastern portion of the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia as of Tuesday, Ray Powell, the director of the Stanford University-affiliated SeaLight maritime analysis organization, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. A Newsweek map shows the Chinese ship was outside the Australian 200-nautical-mile (230-mile) exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It previously transited the Great Australian Bight off Australia's southern coastline and the country's EEZ after leaving New Zealand. The Chinese vessel did not take the "most direct" route back to China, where it is expected to arrive on April 30, Powell said, adding that the "dual-purpose" ship, which is reportedly capable of gathering intelligence, has another objective: surveying the Diamantina Trench. According to Powell, the Tan Suo Yi Hao paused its voyage twice over the trench, which has a depth of 8,047 meters (26,401 feet). The analyst said this could indicate the deployment of submersibles, which can reach 10,000 meters below sea level, according to its operator. The "most obvious" reason for China to carry out deep-sea research off Australia and New Zealand would be to facilitate its submarine force deployments, including submarines that are armed with nuclear missiles, at "strategic deep-sea locations," the analyst concluded. Prior to its voyage near Australia, the Chinese vessel conducted a joint research expedition from January to March with scientists from New Zealand at the Puysegur Trench's deepest point, located 6,208 meters below sea level and to the southwest of New Zealand. In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Australian Defense Department said the "Chinese government-owned" Tan Suo Yi Hao was approximately 737 nautical miles west-southwest of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, as of Tuesday. Australia has not observed the Chinese deep-sea science and engineering research vessel "conducting maritime research or survey activities" within its EEZ, the statement added. Marine scientific research within the EEZ waters "shall be conducted with the consent of the coastal state," according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A spokesperson for the Australian Defense Department said: "[The Australian Defense Force] monitored the Tan Suo Yi Hao as it transited to the south of Australia and while it remained in our maritime approaches." A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Australia said: "Over recent years China has conducted joint scientific expeditions with multiple countries, making positive contribution to global marine biodiversity protection and sustainable development. Politicizing or stigmatizing of the research activities is disrespectful to global scientific development." Alex Luck, a naval analyst in Australia, wrote on X: "China has had a long-standing program running to reach some of the deepest maritime regions. This has research applications, but also an obvious political and reputational angle as a maritime nation." It remains to be seen how long the Tan Suo Yi Hao will stay in the waters off Australia. Its voyage comes after China sent a flotilla for an unprecedented circumnavigation of Australia and the deployment of an American nuclear-powered submarine to Australia. Related Articles China Responds to Zelensky's Claim Chinese Soldiers Captured in UkraineNew Trump Tariffs Imposed With Over 100% on ChinaTrump Admin Responds to Ukraine's Capture of Chinese TroopsChina Reacts to Pete Hegseth's Panama Canal Remarks 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Zealand warns Chinese ships in Tasman Sea armed with 'extremely capable' weaponry
Feb. 24 (UPI) -- New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins said Monday that a Chinese naval group conducting military exercises in the Tasman Sea was armed with "extremely capable" weaponry with the ability to target mainland Australia. Calling the minimal advance warning provided by Chinese authorities of two so-called live-fire exercises by the People's Liberation Army warships southeast of Australia on Friday and Saturday "unusual", Collins said the presence of such a powerful naval force was an omen of the need for New Zealand to ramp up defense spending amid rising strategic rivalry in the region. "We've certainly never seen a task group of this capability undertaking this sort of work, it's certainly a change," she said of the incident which forced the last-minute diversions of at least three flights in the area. "The weapons they have are extremely capable. One has 112 vertical launch cells and has reported anti-ship ballistic missile range of 540 nautical miles," said Collins, who added that the battle group was now 280 miles east of Tasmania and being shadowed by the New Zealand Navy frigate Te Kaha. Collins said that as far as she was aware the Jiangkai-class frigate, Hengyang, Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and Fuchi-class supply vessel Weishanhu that made up Taskgroup 107 were conventional non-nuclear powered ships that were not carrying nuclear weapons or missiles capable of being armed with a nuclear warhead. However, she expressed frustration that Chinese authorities were rejecting information requests regarding the movements of the warships. Collins said that meant they were left with no alternative but to accept that the warships were engaged in "normal transits" of waters in the region in line with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea rules and were not violating international law. China's defense ministry complained that both New Zealand and Australia had purposely exaggerated the actions of its navy, insisting that they were perfectly legal. "Australia, knowing this well, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up," said Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian. "We are deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied with this." The Chinese navy did inform the Australian Defense Department on Friday ahead of the drills but Collins rejected claims by the Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, that the appropriate notice period was provided. "There was a warning to civil aviation flights, that was basically a very short amount of notice, rather than what we would consider best practice which is 12-24 hours notice, so that aircraft don't have to be diverted when they're on the wing," said Collins. She warned New Zealand's remote location on the globe was no longer adequate protection. "We need to clearly step up our game," she said. The Te Kaha reported from international water 340 miles off Australia on Friday that the Chinese warships assumed a live-fire drill formation before positioning a target, maneuvering and then collecting the target from the water. No live fire, including surface-to-air, was seen. However, on Saturday, it reported live rounds fired from one of the ships. The exercises were putting both countries on notice that China can project its military might well into South Pacific, according to analysts, while Collins suggested China might have its eye on vast mineral deposits beneath the ocean floor amid a deep sea mining deal it struck with the Cook Islands last week.
