Chinese surveillance ship off Qld as Talisman Sabre 21 under way

A Chinese surveillance ship has been spotted just outside Australian waters as a massive joint Australia-US military operation moves into high gear.

A Chinese spy ship has returned to the edge of Australian waters in time for the nation’s largest bilateral military exercise with the US, adding even more realism to the biennial mock war games.

The Tianwangxing – a People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) auxiliary general intelligence vessel – was spotted in international waters, also known as the exclusive economic zone, in the Coral Sea late Tuesday and was expected to remain for the duration of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21), Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise with the US and now several other nations.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton, speaking at the TS21 opening ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley, near Ipswich, Wednesday, said it was “obvious” the Tianwangxin had arrived to gather intelligence during TS21, which runs from now through to August 1 throughout parts of Queensland.

“Obviously the communist party doesn’t like our close collaboration with the United States but that is a relationship that has gone through peace and through war and it will endure,” he said.

Now in its ninth iteration, TS21 and its continual expansion since its 2005 inception has sparked so much interest militaries from the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and for the first time, the Republic of Korea are also participating.

Nations invited to observe from ships for the first time this year include France, India, Indonesia and Germany.

Chinese spy ship returns to waters off Queensland ahead of Defence's Talisman Sabre 2021 war games involving Australia and the United States

Mr Dutton said, although it was expected the Tianwangxing would remain in international waters, its presence would not be ignored.

“A number of countries who traditionally would not have had a presence in the Indo Pacific … are proposing to send assets to our part of the world,” he said.

“That will give you a sense of their interpretation of what’s happening, what’s unfolding in the Indo-Pacific.”

It is at least the third time China has sent a Dongdiao-class AGI 853 vessel, or similar, to spy on TS21 with a surveillance ship also spotted off the coast during TS19 and TS17.

The Tianwangxing sports radar receivers, or antennas, to help monitor electronic signal intelligence – or potentially “eavesdrop” on the military training exercise – but can also monitor and track missiles.

It is understood it is observing how US and Australian forces use interopera­bility but also the new Japanese Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade – created for a potential China landing on the disputed Senkaku Islands in the China Sea – which is joining drills this week.

Japanese officials have declared Australia has a critical role to play in the defence of the Pacific, saying rising tensions with China over Taiwan should be viewed “with a sense of crisis”.

A Japanese LCAC Hovercraft races onto a beach. Australian Forces during a beach assault at Shoalwater Bay during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019. Picture: Peter Wallis

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s new defence White Paper flags China’s aggressive posturing in the region, notably over Taiwan threatening regional stability.

“As China rapidly enhances its military power, changes in the military power balance between the US and China may possibly affect the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” the report said.

“It is necessary to pay greater attention to the military trends of the two countries in areas such as the South China Sea and Taiwan.”

Military ships from China are regularly spotted observing training exercises around the world, especially where the US military is involved, including during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise held biennially near Hawaii.

– Additional reporting by Charles Miranda