A Chinese spy ship appears off the coast of Australia. Foto/news.com.au
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged that a Chinese surveillance ship spent some time near his country’s coast earlier this year. He said the ship underscores the “very serious situation” in the Indo-Pacific region, even adding that Beijing in the process did not violate maritime laws.
“I think the presence of the Chinese Navy – which we are aware of, and they keep an eye on us and we keep an eye on them – the importance of that is to highlight to Australians that there is a very serious situation in the Indo-Pacific,” Morrison told reporters.
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“They have a right to be where they are. We know they are there. They can be there under international maritime law. But don’t think for a moment that we are not watching them while they are trying to watch over us.” Russia Today, Friday (11/26/2021).
Morrison also said he expected Beijing to give his country the same leeway when sailing its own ships in disputed territory in the South China Sea, where a number of overlapping international claims have raised tensions between China and other regional powers for a long time.
The Daily Telegraph is the first to report on the whereabouts of the Chinese spy ship, which it claims has circled off the coast of Australia for three weeks between August and September.
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Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton confirmed the timeframe, telling media the ship remained outside Australian waters and had not violated any laws. However he added that the deployment was “alarming,” and said it went against Beijing’s rhetoric about promoting peace and security in the Asia-Pacific.
High -level comments about the spy ship come amid growing hostility between China and Australia, with Canberra now reportedly considering a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing – though officials are said to be waiting for Washington’s decision before making its own.
Discussions about a potential boycott were sparked by criticism of China’s alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Uighur minority. In addition to the Olympic controversy, other tensions between Australia and China have been fueled by a long-running trade dispute, which saw China ban imports of Australian coal.
Also read: Australia Says Impossible Not to Join US in Defending Taiwan from China’s Attack
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