in World News Chinese Navy Cruises Around Australia and Sends a Message to the World
A Chinese naval task group recently completed a first-of-its-kind journey around much of Australia—it was sending a clear message regarding the strategic presence of the Chinese navy.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) assemblage consisted of the Type 55 destroyer Chinese Navy Ship (CNS) Zunyi, the Type 54A frigate CNS Hengyang, and the large replenishment ship CNS Weishanhu.
The three-ship formation had significant capabilities. The Zunyi is considered larger than the American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The Hengyang did not have an equivalent in the U.S. Navy until the Constellation-class program delivered its first vessel. And there is no Weishanhu equivalent, as the U.S. Navy no longer has a medium-speed, large replenishment ship in commission.
Glaring Gaps in Situational Awareness
China’s flotilla arrived as a strategic surprise. Michael Shoebridge, the founder and director of Strategic Analysis Australia, a Canberra, Australia-based defense and security think tank, shared his recent article about the episode with The Epoch Times.
“The Chinese military’s no-notice live firing between Australia and New Zealand is bringing deliberate and dangerous behavior into our peaceful neighborhood. Of course, China is telling everyone this is all good because it’s not illegal, but it’s odd to hear our prime minister and defense minister parroting their words,” Shoebridge wrote in the article.
“More disturbingly, hours after the drill, the chief of Australia’s military told us it was not clear if any live firing had actually occurred. What does ‘watching every move’ mean if you don’t know if warships fired their guns or launched missiles?” Sheobridge wrote.
Shoebridge also observed that monitoring such a Chinese exercise would be routine for countries such as South Korea or Japan.