A Chinese research ship threatens Australian security, according to ASPI defence expert

The PM has stumbled over agency names – and appeared to make light of national security issues – as he tried to reassure Aussies amid fears a Chinese ship is gathering data in local waters.

A Chinese research ship has sailed into Australian waters as the country prepares to head to the polls. The Tan Suo Yi Hao, a 94 metre vessel that carries manned and unmanned small submarines, remains in the Great Australian Bight off South Australia.

• PM hammered for ‘wet lettuce’ response
• Chinese ‘spy ship’ carrying submarines

Anthony Albanese has come under fire for his “inexperience” when it comes to Australian national security amid fears a Chinese research ship is gathering data in local waters.

The research vessel, Tan Suo Yi Hai, appears to be circumnavigating Australia, travelling close to the nation’s subsea cables.

As revealed exclusively in The Advertiser on Tuesday, this has prompted security concerns over whether undersea data is being mapped to assist in future Chinese submarine operations.

A senior national defence analyst told The Advertiser that the Chinese research ship was following the path of a critical underwater communication cable off the South Australian coast.

“The ship is following exactly the path of a submarine (underwater) cable that connects Australia to other markets,” Dr Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defence strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said.

On the campaign trail on Monday, the Prime Minister said Australian authorities were monitoring the ship following reports only weeks ago that Chinese warships had conducted live fire exercises in international waters in the Tasman Sea.

Anthony Albanese said he “would prefer that (the ship) wasn’t there” and confirmed that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) was “monitoring what is happening” in relation to the ship.

“We won’t, for obvious reasons, broadcast everything that we’re doing,” Mr Albanese said.

But we’re keeping an eye on this as we do.”

Mr Albanese said it was not the first time the Tan Suo Yi Hao had been off Australia’s coast.

“It’s been in New Zealand on a joint research operation, and this isn’t the first time that a similar vessel has been around the Australian coast,” he said.

“It occurred in 2020, for example, just to give one example. Australia, as you would expect, is monitoring this.”

A Chinese research ship has sailed into Australian waters – the Tan Suo Yi Hao, a 94 metre vessel that carries manned and unmanned small submarines, remains in the Great Australian Bight off South Australia.

On FIVEAA on Tuesday morning, he repeated that authorities were monitoring the ship, and appeared to make light of the issue, laughing as he said: “I think our people are monitoring out there so I’m sure they’ll know what people are saying, just like they’ll know what, I’m sure, they know what the Australian ships are saying around the South China Sea.”

On Tuesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton slammed the Prime Minister’s “wet lettuce” response.

“Australia has a huge part to play in the world ... but we need to call out bad behaviour in our own region,” he told Newcastle radio 2HD.

“There are significant assets that we can deploy to provide a projection of our own force etc.

“I just don’t think our Prime Minister has been able to stand up for our country at a time that is needed.”

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie also said Mr Albanese’s response had been “weak”.

“Well, it’s another week and another warship, and another warship and another weak response from our Prime Minister,” Senator McKenzie said.

She slammed Mr Albanese for confusing his agencies, saying he was mistaken in claiming the ADF was monitoring the vessel when it was actually the Australian Border Force.

“This guy’s inexperience when it comes to foreign affairs and national security is on display and being exposed,” Senator McKenzie said.

“This week he’s mixing up his Defence Force and his Border Force. The guy’s absolutely all over the shop.”

Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst Defence Strategy and National Security, Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Supplied

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson also weighed in on the situation, casting doubt over how trustworthy the Prime Minister was when it came to national security. “I’m worried the Prime Minister is again not across the details when it comes to an important matter of national security,” Senator Paterson said on Sunrise.

“I know it’s only two letters away in the alphabet but there is a world of difference between the ABF and the ADF. If the Prime Minister is not to the job on national security, how can we trust him for three more years?”

When asked if he believed Mr Albanese’s confidence in the ADF was a lie, Senator Paterson said: “He either lied or he got it wrong.”

But a federal government spokesperson claimed the opposition is being “reckless” by politicising the Chinese research ship’s presence in the Great Australian Bight.

“Peter Dutton and the Coalition are doing it again--they are still playing reckless political games. They politicise every issue in the bilateral relationship with China and put politics before national interest. We saw what happened last time they were in government. That did not make our country safer.”

He said the arrival of the Chinese research vessel was not a surprise as it had visited New Zealand for joint research activities.

The spokesperson said the nation’s responsible agencies had been monitoring the ship’s movements and its activities.

“We take national security matters seriously. Unlike Peter Dutton and the Coalition we don’t seek to politicise everything and question the capabilities of our border force and defence force.”

Dr Davis told the Advertiser the 94-metre research vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao could be gathering critical information about the cable that carries internet and communications capabilities in the Great Australian Bight to inform China’s future submarine operational planning,

Dr Davis referred to serious incidents in the past few months where important subsea cables had been cut by Russia and China in “grey zone” operations including in northern Europe and near Taiwan.

“This cable carries the flow of data from one country to another, if you cut that you lose access and have a grave problem for economic markets and so forth,” he said.

Mr Albanese confirmed the Chinese research ship is travelling off the South Australian coast with manned and unmanned small submarines on board that have the ability to map the ocean floor.

But Dr Davis believed the Chinese “are sending us a clear message that they intend to dominate our air and marine approaches if and when they want to do so”.

“Ironically, this will hurt the Albanese government in terms of the election campaign,” Dr Davis said, referring to defence spending rates being under scrutiny.

While the research ship was not breaking international laws, deputy chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade David Fawcett said it was protocol to give advanced warning before ships travelled into Australian waters.

The SA Liberal Senator and former army pilot also said it was unusual for a foreign research vessel to be off the coast of SA as there was no “direct route” that it would be travelling.

“Why is a research ship going out of its way to go around Australia?” he said.

Originally published as A Chinese research ship threatens Australian security, according to ASPI defence expert