May 13, 2022
image source,EPA
Australian Defense Minister Dutton criticized China’s dispatch of intelligence-gathering ships as a “provocation”, which was refuted by the Chinese media as hyping up the “China threat theory” before the election to win voters’ support.
Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Friday (May 13) that a Chinese naval spy ship had been spotted in the waters off a secret naval base on the west coast.
Australia’s revelations about the activities of Chinese naval spy ships are widely seen as the latest sign of continued tension between the two countries. Before that, Australia and China were at odds over trade and diplomacy.
On Friday, China’s state media Global Times criticized Australia for “hyping up” and quoted “anonymous military experts” as saying, “Even if a Chinese naval intelligence ship did arrive on Australia’s west coast, but did not enter Australia’s territorial waters, it would be in line with international practice. .”
Regarding China’s “spy ship to the west coast of Australia”, the BBC Chinese sorted out the following five highlights:
1. What does the Australian Ministry of Defence say?
According to information released on the official website of the Australian Ministry of Defence, an intelligence gathering ship of the Chinese navy is known to be operating near the northwest continental shelf of Australia.
The Australian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the ship was a Chinese Navy Dongdiao-class intelligence ship named “Neptune”.
“The Neptune traveled along the west coast of Australia to near Exmouth, before changing course and heading east along the northwest coast. The Ministry of Defence is actively monitoring the Chinese intelligence gathering vessel currently in the northwest of Western Australia with a combined air and sea capability. Activities on the coast.”
The Australian Department of Defence also said: Australia respects the rights of all nations to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace, as we expect other nations to respect our rights; and will continue to monitor Neptune’s operations in Australian waters.
However, Australian Defense Minister Dutton described the Neptune at a press conference as “hugged” to the west coast, very close to a military base.
He said: “I think it was a provocative act, especially because it was “unprecedented” and “unusual” for the ship to sail so far south.
2. How will China respond?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was asked at a regular press conference on May 13 about the news released by the Australian side, and he replied: I am not aware of the specific situation you mentioned. What I want to tell you is that China has always abided by international law and international practice. Relevant Australian politicians should view the situation objectively and calmly, and refrain from alarmism.
Earlier, the Communist Party of China’s Global Times criticized Australia for “hyping up”, saying, “In the past two years, Australia has followed the rhythm of the United States and has taken the initiative to provoke frequently, picking quarrels and provoking troubles and taking the opportunity to create trouble.” The Global Times also said: This truly reflects the common interests of Western politicians. Logic: I can threaten your safety, and you have no right to counter it.
In June 2018, when the Australian media disclosed that a Chinese navy spy ship was monitoring Australian warships, Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, accused the Australian media of being “purely out of nothing and whimsical”.
image source,Getty Images
After years of upward momentum in economic, trade and diplomatic relations between Australia and China, it began to decline in 2018 and has not improved so far.
He also said at the time that Australia had overestimated its own strength and that “China has neither reason nor need to conduct so-called surveillance operations on Australian ships.”
3. Australian military bases
The Australian naval base that the Chinese navy spy ship approached this time is located in Exmouth and is the secret Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, which is jointly operated by Australia and the United States.
The base supports U.S. and other allied submarines operating under the vast waters of the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans.
Established in the 1960s and named after former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, the base provides very low frequency (VLF) communications transmissions to service Australian, US, UK and allied submarines.
4. “Neptune” electronic reconnaissance ship
According to Chinese media reports, the “Neptune” ship officially joined the South China Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy on December 26, 2015. It is one of the many electronic reconnaissance ships of the Chinese Navy.
According to the report, the “Neptune” electronic reconnaissance ship is independently researched, designed and produced by China. It is a newly built 815G electronic reconnaissance ship of the Chinese Navy, with the hull number 852. It is equipped with a large number of new electronic equipment, and can carry out all-weather, non-stop operations on various targets within a certain range. Intermittent reconnaissance to grasp its deployment trends.
In July 2017, during a joint military exercise between the United States and Australia, the Neptune ship monitored the exercise. The Australian Ministry of Defence issued a statement at the time that it appeared within Australia’s exclusive economic zone.
V. Background and Timing
The time when “Neptune” was close to Australian waters was only a few days before the Australian election.
The Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times accused Australia’s “politicians of trickery”, hyping up the “China threat theory” before the general election, and showing toughness toward China in order to win votes.
Dutton and the current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison belong to the Liberal Party and will fight for re-election in the May 21 general election, and revitalizing the economy and defense are the party’s main campaign cards.
But Dutton denied at the press conference that his criticism of China’s “provocation” at this time had anything to do with the election.
The Australian Ministry of Defence said it respects the rights of all countries to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace, and it is considered that the subtext is not illegal.
International legal scholars also believe that the activities of Chinese spy ships in Australia’s exclusive economic zone are in line with international practice.
It is also worth mentioning that China and Solomon just signed a security agreement in April. Australia, New Zealand and the United States have all expressed concern about this, as leaked terms revealed it would allow Chinese warships to dock in the Solomon Islands.