Chinese warship exercises fuel deep anxieties in Australia

Move stirs political divisions over how to handle Beijing as national election nears

- Jonathan Pearlman

An unprecedented move by Chinese warships to "circumnavigate" Australian territory has touched a nerve, as the country grows increasingly concerned about China's reach and intentions in the region.

Australia's military spotted three Chinese warships on Feb 10 in the Arafura Sea, off the northern tip of Australia.

But Canberra appeared to have little inkling that the ships were just setting out on an unprecedented voyage that would bring them within 150 nautical miles of Sydney, as part of what is likely to be — according to Defence Minister Richard Marles — a complete circumnavigation of Australia.

The ships first made national and international headlines on Feb 21 when it was revealed that almost 50 commercial flights were diverted after the Chinese warships sent an alert that they were planning to conduct live-fire exercises about 640km off Australia's east coast.

The exercises do not appear to have breached international law. But they have fuelled deep anxieties in Australia about whether China poses a direct military threat, and stirred political divisions over how to handle Beijing.

Indeed, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked by a reporter on Feb 28 whether the ships could be rehearsing for land strike missions against Australia. This followed comments from hawkish former home affairs head Mike Pezzullo, who said the Australian Defence Force (ADF) should have deployed fighter jets and submarines to stalk the Chinese ships and send a message that they were in the "kill zone".

Mr Albanese, who has sought to improve ties with China since his election in 2022, dismissed these suggestions and continued his attempt throughout the saga to downplay the presence of the ships. He said China had complied with international law, though he criticised Beijing for giving almost no notice about its live-fire exercises off the east coast, saying Australia would typically give 24 to 48 hours' notice.