China spy ship off Australian coast to monitor allied war games

A Chinese spy ship has been tracked for days approaching Queensland as Australian and US military exercises begin.

Talisman this year is looking to test and refine interoperability with regional allies in land, air and maritime manoeuvres, high-end war fighting and ship-to-ship communication. Picture: Glenn Hunt

A Chinese spy ship is sitting off the Australian coast to monitor Australian and US military exercises adding a real life dimension to the biannual ANZUS war games.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed the Chinese intelligence ship Tianwangxing had been tracked for a few days through the Torres Strait approaching Queensland ahead of the official start today of the Talisman Sabre ’21 exercise.

The ship is expected to remain outside Australian territorial waters but inside our 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone in international waters.

So far the ship is responding only to calls and claims it is operating in accordance with international maritime law.

It is understood it is collecting intelligence on how US and Australian forces use interoperability but also the operations of the newly-formed Japanese Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade – created for a potential China landing on the disputed uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the China Sea – also joining allied drills from this week.

Tianguanxing (AGI-797) transits through the Arafura Sea, approximately 40 nautical miles north of the Tiwi Islands on July 10. Picture: Supplied

The Tianguanxing is understood it is collecting intelligence on how US and Australian forces use interoperability. Picture: Supplied

“We are aware that the People’s Liberation Army (Navy) general intelligence ship Tianwangxing is approaching Australia’s east coast via the Torres Strait,” Defence Minister Peter Dutton said.

“We have been monitoring its approach to Australia for several days as part of Australia’s broader surveillance effort.”

Type 815 Dongdiao-class Chinese spy vessel have become almost a guarantee about Australia as well as US territories Guam and Hawaii when military exercises are on, having attended RIMPAC in 2018 and the past two Talisman Sabre exercises.

Mr Dutton said he fully expected the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) vessel with its distinctive soccer ball spy dome in the region this week.

“The presence of similar vessels did not detract from Talisman Sabre 2017 or Talisman Sabre 2019, and we are confident that it will not impede this year,” he said.

The Tianwangxing, translated Uranus, is expected to be in the area for two weeks and could be joined by its sister ship Haiwangxing (Neptune) further down the east coast.

Exercises are planned across Australia. Picture: Peter Wallis

Analysts say the names were perhaps a reference to plants in constant orbit as PLA-N intelligence missions were the new norm by China about the Pacific.

This year’s Talisman Sabre will also see the armed forces of Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom join Australia and the US in what is Australia’s largest war games with France, India and Indonesia joining as official observers.

Exercises are planned across Queensland including in Townsville, Charters Towers, Bundaberg, Shoalwater Bay, Lindeman Island, Mackay, Ingham, RAAF Base Scherger in Mission River, Cowley Beach and Evans Head in NSW.

It is understood the Royal Australian Navy and US Navy have discussed “precautions to protect critical information” during the games from unofficial observers dispatched by Beijing.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says the Chinese ship had been tracked for a few days. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Talisman (TS21) this year is looking to test and refine interoperability with regional allies in land, air and maritime manoeuvres, high-end war fighting and ship-to-ship communication.

Land manoeuvres will be done in concert with amphibious and maritime manoeuvre forces, supported by air support and the overarching coalition joint force operations co-ordinated by the ADF’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters.

“Talisman Sabre demonstrates that American and Australian militaries can quickly join forces and execute highly complex multi-domain operations in a demanding environment,” Major General Jake Ellwood said. “Overall, these exercises provide an outstanding opportunity to develop broader interoperability with friends, partners and allies within the region and further afield.”

JAPAN SINGLES OUT AUSTRALIA FOR ‘ACTIVE CO-OPERATION’

Japan has formally declared Australia has a critical role to play in the defence of the Pacific as it says rising tensions with China over Taiwan should be viewed “with a sense of crisis”.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s defence White Paper out today has flagged China’s growing 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 United States 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.”

It added: “Stabilising the Taiwan situation is important for Japan’s national security and stability of the international community. We need to pay close attention with a sense of crisis more than ever before.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Chinese vessels have remained just outside Japanese territorial waters around Senkaku for 150 straight days, describing it as “an extremely grave situation.”

Australia was singled out in the document as a valuable ally for “active co-operation” in furthering peace and stability in the region particularly with high-level talks and military exercises that support’s Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) policy.

Originally published as China spy ship off Australian coast to monitor allied war games