Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that he "would prefer" a Chinese research vessel not to be in Australian waters, following an investigation into its close-range navigation. The Chinese mothership, identified as "Tan Suo Yi Hao" (Exploration One), which is capable of carrying small submarines, is currently located in the Great Australian Bight off the coast of South Australia.
Read Also...:
A stroke survivor speaks again with the help of an experimental brain-computer implant
04-01, 2025
Arcade champion Billy Mitchell wins lawsuit against Queensland-based YouTube creator
04-01, 2025
Pope Francis shows slight improvement and resumes some work, Vatican says
04-01, 2025
Pope Francis back home after five-week hospital stay for life-threatening double pneumonia
04-01, 2025Prime Minister Albanese stated that the government is continuing to "monitor the situation" but will not disclose further details for "obvious reasons." Speaking in Perth, he said, "I would prefer it wasn't there. But the environment we're in is that, just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait and a range of other areas, this vessel is here as well."
"We are keeping a close eye on it, as we always do. The Australian Defence Force is monitoring developments... it's coming from New Zealand. We expect that it will circumnavigate back to China... in that way." The so-called "spy ship" is reportedly used for scientific research and intelligence gathering. The Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that the 94-meter-long vessel is capable of probing depths of 10,000 meters.
This incident occurred a month after a Chinese naval fleet made a surprise cruise off the coast of Australia. This followed concerns raised by Australian officials about a live-fire exercise alert, which the Chinese military refuted as an "exaggerated" reaction. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian stated last month: "The Australian claim is completely unfounded. China's actions are entirely in accordance with international law and international practice and will not affect the safety of aviation."
Albanese, during a campaign event in Perth, stated that he has full confidence in Australia's armed forces and security agencies. "Our job is to make sure that we represent Australia's national interests," he said, "We do that each and every day, and I have full confidence in our defence forces and security agencies to be able to do that." The Department of Defence has been contacted for comment.
