Chinese ships set to monitor military drills off coast

Andrew Brown | July 21, 2023

Chinese spy ships will be closely watching military exercises off the coast of Australia as tens of thousands of troops prepare for the war games.

More than 30,000 defence personnel from 13 countries will take part in Talisman Sabre, which begins in Sydney on Friday.

Originally involving Australia and the US, the biennial exercises have expanded to nations including Japan and South Korea.

Vessels from China’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy are expected to head towards Australia while the military exercises take place.

Talisman Sabre director Brigadier Damien Hill said the Chinese ships would be free to come into Australia’s exclusive economic zone.

“We monitor our borders very carefully and that includes nations such as the PLA operating,” he said.

“As long as they do so in accordance with international law there will be no issues from us.”

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said it was worrying the Chinese ships could be used for spying.

“It’s always a concern if a foreign power is potentially spying on us, particularly close to our shores,” he told reporters in Perth.

“But that’s something that I’m sure the minister for defence has in hand.”

The exercises have already hit a snag, with live firing drills due to take place at Jervis Bay off the NSW south coast delayed due to bad weather.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will hold talks with their American counterparts on the sidelines of Talisman Sabre as part of the annual AUSMIN summit.

The ministers will travel to Queensland next week to watch some of the exercises.

Talisman Sabre will be officially opened at Sydney’s Garden Island naval base with manoeuvres taking place in NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.