Muted response to Chinese ships leaves sinking feeling

Greg Sheridan correctly sums up Anthony Albanese’s response to the latest Chinese naval provocation. The Prime Minister’s false equivalence between Australia’s participation in international exercises in the South China Sea and China’s two recent exercises shows a complete failure to understand the reality of China’s actions and an apparent lack of knowledge of international geopolitical realities.

Peter Dutton must ensure Australians understand the gravity of Albanese’s continued and pathetic responses to these ongoing provocations.

Alan Hayes, Currumbin, Qld

Like a burglar casing his next victim, the Tan Suo Yi Hao is up to no good in our neighbourhood (“Chinese spy ship must be checked”, 2/4). We might have supposed that after last month’s embarrassment the Albanese government might take some interest in China’s scoping of our coasts in the interest of future submarine activity and locating vital undersea cables.

The only substantive defence item in the recent budget was the purchase of long-range guided missiles, first announced in the wake of the Defence Strategic Review in 2023 and twice postponed since. China’s object is to detach Australia from the US alliance. If we were a mature electorate, this election would be as much about national security as cost of living.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

The Chinese are claiming the opposition is being alarmist in its comments on Chinese spy ships around Australia. They could settle this by announcing the purpose of these vessels, supported by facts. If we were conducting similar exercises close to China, the CCP would demand to know what we were doing. They would not turn the other cheek, as Anthony Albanese is prone to do.

Raymond Watson, Sunnybank Hills, Qld

It’s no coincidence that the Chinese navy flotilla recently embarked on a tour of Australian waters. They too would have been aware of the decommissioning of the last two of our six Australian-constructed minehunter coastal vessels. Advanced, competent and seaworthy, they met all design and operational criteria. Likewise, two sister minehunters for the Royal Thai Navy were constructed. I understand that the Thai ships are still in service.

Richard Foster, Noosaville, Qld

Clearly Anthony Albanese thinks China will never attack Australia. According to the Prime Minister, the incidents of Chinese warships circumnavigating our coastline and the most recent snooping by a Chinese survey cum intelligence-gathering vessel is nothing to be concerned about. But warships plan for war; they reconnoitre, they look for safe and secure approaches, they identify communications systems, they assess feasibility of landing places, they identify troop concentrations and facilities; all of that, plus some.

John George, Terrigal, NSW

An appropriate response by our Prime Minister to Chinese live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea and the recent research vessel sail-by would be to send three warships into international waters close to China and conduct live-fire drills. Of course we would be civilised and beyond reproach by giving due warning.

Peter Tierney, New Town, Tas

The question on every clear-thinking Australian’s agenda must be: If we’re so friendly with our largest trading partner why does it continue to send warships and research vessels within our maritime limits and covert agencies to our shores?

Now is not the time to kowtow to the arrogance of Chinese diplomacy directed at nations with little military support. It is time to get tough.

John Bain, South Bunbury, WA

It is deeply worrying to have a Prime Minister who appears to have no detailed knowledge about any of the matters he should be across.

When asked what action his government had taken following a Chinese plane dangerously dropping flares in front of an Australian helicopter, Anthony Albanese said his government had taken action at all possible levels. The next day it came out that the government had not even rebuked or spoken to the Chinese ambassador. The obfuscation about the South China Sea is another example of his ignorance.

Andrew Murray, Bellevue Hill, NSW