Latest news with #PLA-N
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Dramatic footage shows a helicopter land near five stranded men believed to have arrived illegally by boat
Stunning footage captured the moment a helicopter pilot discovered a group of suspected asylum seekers stranded on a remote beach in Australia's north. North Australian Helicopters, a privately-owned aviation company, posted footage of the helicopter touching down on the north coast beach to their Facebook page on Thursday. In the video, the group of five men appeared to be standing beside a message written in the sand, believed to have read 'SOS'. It was not clear where the men came from though the author of the video wrote the men could not 'understand a word of English'. The men are understood to have since been collected by the Australian Border Force. Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson said the incident exposed the Albanese Government's failure to protect Australia's borders. 'Media reports of an apparent illegal maritime arrival are deeply concerning. Regardless of whether they are people smugglers or illegal fishers, no one should be able to reach the Australian mainland undetected,' he said in a statement. Senator Paterson likened the incident to the live firing drill of Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea in February which the government was first alerted to by a commercial pilot. 'Once again, we have seen the Albanese Government relying on private businesses alerting the government to serious security concerns, like when a Virgin Australia pilot was the first to alert the government to a PLA-N live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea. 'Time and time again, we have seen Labor fail to keep Australia safe. Only a Dutton Coalition government will restore Operation Sovereign Borders and stop the boats.' Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke remained tight-lipped about the incident. 'We do not confirm, or comment on, operational matters,' he told The Australian. 'There has never been a successful people smuggling venture under our government, and that remains true.' The Facebook video has been viewed more than 10,000 times since being posted on Thursday. The Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force have been contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Asia Times
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
China's live-fire flex shows Australia is no naval match
Over the past few days, the Australian media has been dominated by the activities of the Chinese navy's Task Group 107 as it has progressed south along the Australian coast and conducted a series of live-fire exercises. Much of the discussion has been rather breathless in nature, with accusations of 'gunboat diplomacy' being bandied around. The live-fire exercises have also dominated the Australian political debate. Amid all the accusations, the fact that these exercises are routine and entirely legal has gotten lost. The Australian government was correct to lodge a complaint with its Chinese counterpart when one of these exercises disrupted civilian aviation. But the overall response has been an extraordinary overreaction. There is no indication the Chinese vessels undertook any surface-to-air exercises, and it remains unclear whether the initial firings involved medium-caliber weapons or smaller arms. Either way, the facts suggest the disruption from the Chinese vessels was caused by inexperience or poor procedure, rather than some more nefarious purpose. This is not to suggest the People's Liberation Army-Navy's (PLA-N) deployment is unimportant, but as happens all too often, the Australian public debate is missing the wood for the trees. While a number of retired naval officers have publicly played down the significance of the live-fire exercises, these voices have generally been drowned out by the politicization of the issue. This highlights the failure of the Department of Defence to communicate effectively to the public. In other countries, including the United States, senior officers are given far more leeway to make public statements in matters within their purview. Had Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the chief of navy, or Vice Admiral Justin Jones, the chief of Joint Operations, been empowered to explain how live-fire exercises are routine and are commonly carried out by Australian warships on deployment in our region, we may have avoided this unhelpful stoush. Maritime muscle The real significance of the activities of Task Group 107 is the way it has revealed the very different trajectories of the PLA-N and its Royal Australian Navy counterpart. The task group is made up of a Type 055 Renhai-class cruiser, a Type 054A Jiangkai II frigate and a Type 903 Fuchi-class replenishment ship. This is a powerful force that symbolizes the rapid development of the Chinese navy. The Renhai-class cruisers are acknowledged to be some of the most capable surface combatants currently in operation. They are 13,000 tonnes in size and are armed with 112 vertical-launch system (VLS) missile tubes. The Australian navy's premier surface warship, the Hobart-class destroyer, is just 7,000 tonnes and has 48 VLS missile cells. These are very crude metrics, but it would be foolhardy to assume Chinese technology is dramatically inferior to that of Australia or its allies. Similarly, China's Type 054A frigates are comparable to the general-purpose frigates that Australia is currently trying to acquire. Since 2020, China has commissioned eight Type 055 cruisers, adding to a fleet of more than 30 Type 52C and Type 52D destroyers and an even greater number of Type 054A frigates. This build-up vastly exceeds that of any other navy globally. Chinese shipyards are churning out the same combat power of the entire Royal Australian Navy every couple of years. Until recently, we have seen remarkably little of this naval capability in our region. A PLA-N task force operated off the northeast coast of Australia in 2022. Last year, a similar force was in the South Pacific. Most analysts expect to see more Chinese vessels in Australia's region over the coming years. One significant limitation on Chinese overseas deployments has been the PLA-N's small force of replenishment ships, which resupply naval vessels at sea. As the PLA-N's capabilities continue to grow and priorities shift, this appears to be changing. A recent US Department of Defence report noted that China was expected to build further replenishment ships 'to support its expanding long-duration combatant ship deployments.' Struggling to keep pace In response to the Chinese build-up, Australia is investing heavily to rebuild its navy. However, this process has been slow and beset by problems. Indeed, this week, the Defence Department revealed that the selection of the design for the new Australian frigate has been postponed into 2026. This leaves the navy with a limited fleet of just 10 surface combatants, the majority of which are small and ageing Anzac-class frigates. The arrival of the Chinese task group also sheds an unfavorable light on other recent decisions. The cuts to the Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel program make sense from some perspectives. But these ships would have provided additional options to persistently shadow foreign warships in Australian areas of interest. Similarly, the growing need of Australian ships to escort Chinese vessels in our region will place an increasing strain on Australian replenishment capability. At present, both of Australia's resupply ships are out of service. Additional capacity was also cut from the recent defence budget. The activities of the Chinese task force are not some aggressive move of gunboat diplomacy in our region. In many ways, this sensationalist messaging has distracted from a much bigger issue. The presence of Chinese naval ships in our region is going to be a fact of life. And due to failures from both sides of politics over the past 15 years, Australia's navy is ill-equipped to meet that challenge. Richard Dunley is senior lecturer in history and maritime strategy, UNSW Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australia says no live firing seen or heard from Chinese ships
Australia says it detected no live firing from Chinese naval ships off its east coast, despite the vessels broadcasting a warning that forced commercial flights to detour. Australia and close ally New Zealand have been monitoring three Chinese navy vessels -- a frigate, a cruiser and a supply tanker -- since they were spotted in international waters last week. The Chinese ships broadcast a verbal live fire warning Friday that was picked up by commercial planes over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, Canberra said. "This was very disconcerting for the planes," which had to change course, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said hours after the incident. China had abided by international law but did not follow best practice of giving 12-24 hours' notice, and Canberra had raised the lack of notice with Beijing, Marles said. Australia's Department of Defence issued a statement late Friday saying any live firing by the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) has "most likely ceased". "No weapon firings were heard or seen, however, a floating surface firing target was deployed by the PLA-N and subsequently recovered." Australian forces would monitor the Chinese ships while they remain near the country's "maritime approaches", the department said. New Zealand is working with Australia to monitor the task force and it, too, has no confirmation live firing actually occurred, said the country's defence minister, Judith Collins. Beijing described the manoeuvres as training exercises that were "safe, standard and professional" and in line with international law, without commenting on whether live ammunition was used. - Tense encounters - It was the latest in a string of tense encounters between China and Australia in the increasingly contested airspace and shipping lanes of the Asia-Pacific region. Last week, Canberra rebuked Beijing for "unsafe" military conduct, accusing a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea. A Chinese fighter jet was accused of intercepting an Australian Seahawk helicopter in international airspace in 2024, dropping flares across its flight path. In 2023, a Chinese destroyer was accused of bombarding submerged Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in waters off Japan, causing minor injuries. The Australian government says it respects the right of all states to pass through international waters and airspace. The United States and its allies including Australia frequently cross through the 180-kilometre (112-mile) Taiwan Strait to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering China, which claims jurisdiction over the waters. djw/dgi/rsc
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chinese warships make 'unusual' voyage near US ally Australia
Australia is "keeping close watch on" Chinese military ships traversing waters off its coast, Richard Marles, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, noted during an interview on Sky News Australia. Marles said that the ships "have been abiding by international law," though he described the situation as "not unprecedented, but an unusual event." He said that while the ships have the right to be located in international waters, Australia has the right to surveil the ships. China Outraged After Trump State Department Deletes Key Phrase On Taiwan Relations "Defence is aware of a People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) task group operating to the north east of Australia," a Feb. 13 Australian Department of Defense statement noted. "Defence can confirm the Chinese vessels are the PLA-N Jiangkai-class frigate named Hengyang; the PLA-N Renhai cruiser named Zunyi and the PLA-N Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu. "Defence routinely monitors all maritime traffic in our Exclusive Economic Zone and maritime approaches. The vessels travelled through Southeast Asia, before entering Australia's maritime approaches. One of the vessels, the Hengyang, transited the waters to Australia's north," the statement noted. Read On The Fox News App The Financial Times recently reported that Australia's navy had been shadowing China's vessels 150 nautical miles east of Sydney, Australia. New Zealand's military was monitoring China's vessels "in coordination with Australia," New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins indicated in a statement, according to the Associated Press. Schumer Spotted Posing For Photo With Ccp Official As Warnings Swirl About China Influence "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 noted, according to the AP. "We will continue to monitor these vessels." A Chinese fighter plane released flares near a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft earlier this month, Australia's Defense Department said in another Feb. 13 statement. "On 11 February 2025, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea experienced an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a PLA-AF J-16 fighter aircraft," the statement notes. Cbp Finds 161K Fake Us Stamps In Shipment From China "The PLA-AF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft. This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," though Australia's plane andDefense Force personnel were not harmed during the incident, the statement article source: Chinese warships make 'unusual' voyage near US ally Australia
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Chinese warships make 'unusual' voyage near US ally Australia
Australia is "keeping close watch on" Chinese military ships traversing waters off its coast, Richard Marles, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, noted during an interview on Sky News Australia. Marles said that the ships "have been abiding by international law," though he described the situation as "not unprecedented, but an unusual event." He said that while the ships have the right to be located in international waters, Australia has the right to surveil the ships. "Defence is aware of a People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) task group operating to the north east of Australia," a Feb. 13 Australian Department of Defense statement noted. "Defence can confirm the Chinese vessels are the PLA-N Jiangkai-class frigate named Hengyang; the PLA-N Renhai cruiser named Zunyi and the PLA-N Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu. "Defence routinely monitors all maritime traffic in our Exclusive Economic Zone and maritime approaches. The vessels travelled through Southeast Asia, before entering Australia's maritime approaches. One of the vessels, the Hengyang, transited the waters to Australia's north," the statement noted. The Financial Times recently reported that Australia's navy had been shadowing China's vessels 150 nautical miles east of Sydney, Australia. New Zealand's military was monitoring China's vessels "in coordination with Australia," New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins indicated in a statement, according to the Associated Press. "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 noted, according to the AP. "We will continue to monitor these vessels." A Chinese fighter plane released flares near a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft earlier this month, Australia's Defense Department said in another Feb. 13 statement. "On 11 February 2025, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea experienced an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a PLA-AF J-16 fighter aircraft," the statement notes. "The PLA-AF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft. This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," though Australia's plane andDefense Force personnel were not harmed during the incident, the statement indicated.
