Australian Journalists Are Evacuated From China Over Security Worries

The Australian Financial Review’s Michael Smith and the ABC’s Bill Birtles flew out of Shanghai on Monday night. They left China after being questioned by security officials. Photograph: ABC

ABC News Online: Australian correspondents Bill Birtles and Mike Smith pulled out of China after five-day diplomatic standoff over national security case

The ABC and the Australian Financial Review have rushed their correspondents out of China after police demanded interviews with both journalists, resulting in an extraordinary diplomatic standoff.

Bill Birtles, the ABC's correspondent based in Beijing, and Mike Smith, the AFR's correspondent based in Shanghai, boarded a flight to Sydney last night after the pair were questioned separately by China's Ministry of State security.

Birtles had spent four days sheltering in Australia's Embassy in Beijing, while Smith took refuge in Australia's Shanghai consulate as diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow them to safely leave the country.

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WNU Editor: China is becoming a very inhospitable place for foreigners. Before the pandemic I was warning my contacts who do business in China that you are doing it at your own risk. Today .... doubly so.

More News On Australian Journalists Being Evacuated From China

Australian journalists evacuated from China over security worries -- France 24
Australian journalists flown out of China 'amid diplomatic standoff' -- BBC
Two Australian journalists from ABC and AFR pulled out of China after embassy warnings -- The Guardian
Australian journalists flee China over 'disturbing' pressure -- DW
Australian media pull journalists from China over safety concerns -- Al Jazeera

Chinese Navy Confronts Australian Ships In The South China Sea (Update)

The Chinese Navy and Australian warships (pictured) were engaged in a stand-off last week after a confrontation in the South China Sea

Daily Mail: Chinese Navy confronts Australian warships in the South China Sea after sailing near islands claimed by Beijing - as tensions between the two nations escalate

* Chinese Navy confronted Australian warships in the South China Sea last week
* Australian vessels were near the Spratly Islands when the incident happened
* Ships are in the region while heading to military war games with Japan and US

The Chinese Navy and Australian warships were engaged in a stand-off last week after a confrontation in the South China Sea.

The Australian vessels were sailing close to the Spratly Islands - which are claimed by Beijing as well as the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam - when the incident happened, the ABC reported.

Australian warships - including HMAS Canberra, HMAS Hobart, HMAS Stuart, HMAS Arunta and HMAS Sirius - are on exercise in the region ahead of military war games off Hawaii with the US and Japan.

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More News On China's Navy Confronting Australian Ships In The South China Sea

South China Sea: Australian warships encounter Chinese navy in disputed waters -- The Guardian
Australian warships encounter Chinese navy in contested South China Sea -- ABC News Online
China vs Australia: Chinese Navy ‘Confronts’ Australian Navy in the South China Sea -- EurAsian Times
Australian warships 'confronted' by Chinese Navy in disputed South China Sea -- WION

Australia Moves To Suspend Its Extradition Agreement With Hong Kong

Business Insider: Australia moves to suspend its extradition agreement with Hong Kong over the city's harsh new national security law

* Australia has taken steps to suspend its extradition with Hong Kong and has proposed new visa protections for Hong Kong residents in response to the city's sweeping new national security law.
* The Australian government has also updated its travel advisory for Hong Kong in response to the new legislation, saying that those visiting Hong Kong "may be at increased risk of detention on vaguely defined national security grounds."
* Several other countries, including the US and the UK, have also proposed measures to protect Hong Kong residents fleeing potential political persecution.

Australia has taken steps to suspend its extradition with Hong Kong in light of a sweeping new national security law imposed on the city by China.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday local time that Australia has formally notified Hong Kong and Chinese authorities of its decision to suspend its extradition agreement with the city.

"Our government, together with other governments around the world, have been very consistent in expressing our concerns with the imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong and today we have agreed to announce that national security constitutes a fundamental change of circumstances in respect to our extradition agreement with Hong Kong," Morrison said during a press conference." "And so Australia today has taken steps to suspend our extradition agreement."

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Update: Australia suspends extradition agreement with Hong Kong (DW)

WNU Editor: Australia joins Canada in suspending its extradition agreement with Hong Kong .... 'Extremely concerned': Trudeau suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong (CTV News).

Australia's Air Force Is Not Even Remotely Ready To Face China In Any Conflict

RAAF F/A-18s and F-35s. Royal Australian Air Force

Forbes: The Australian Air Force Can Send Just Two Fighters Into Battle With China

With China’s armed forces growing bigger and more sophisticated by the year, Western and allied militaries are scrambling to keep up.

The Australian military, for one, has a plan for taking the fight to China. As part of a $400 billion defense-wide plan stretching out to 2030, the Royal Australian Air Force intends to arm its growing fleet of American-made fighters with long-range cruise missiles.

Farther in the future, additional support planes could further bolster the fighters.

But the tyranny of distance—Australia lies more than a thousand miles from any likely battle zone—imposes hard limits on Canberra’s ability to wage aerial warfare against a distant enemy. Every mile an air package must travel in order to reach the fight decreases its endurance in battle and increases its reliance on tankers and early-warning planes.

And those support planes are in short supply.

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WNU Editor:  That is the problem with the F-35A. It's operational range is limited.

China Issues Another Warning To Australia. Slaps New Customs Rules On Australian Iron-Ore

Daily Mail: 'This is a warning': China issues ANOTHER threat as it announces new checks on Australia's iron ore as trade tensions escalate again after Canberra backed COVID-19 probe

* China has changed customs rules to make iron-ore easier and quicker to import
* But analysts said Australian exporters could be targeted for extra checks
* Last week China put an 80% tariff on barley and banned some Aussie beef
* Trade tensions have been increasing over Australia's call for COVID inquiry
* Trade Minister told Daily Mail Australia he welcomes the changes

China has issued another warning to Australia by opening the door to new checks on Australian iron ore in an escalating trade row overshadowed by coronavirus.

Beijing's latest move comes after China banned Australian beef and slapped a tax on barley in the wake of Canberra's calls for an inquiry into the pandemic.

The new Chinese customs rules mean that Australia's $63billion (£34billion) iron ore exports could be singled out for extra checks, analysts say.

Instead of mandatory inspections, China will now carry out optional checks at the request of the importer - meaning Australia's competitors could be given priority.

China's retaliation has sparked fears of a global trade war involving other countries who backed an inquiry, including Britain, although Beijing claims the changes are nothing to do with coronavirus.

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Update: China amends inspections of iron ore imports as trade tensions with Australia rise -- Global Times

WNU Editor: Australian officials are trying to see a silver lining in these changes .... Australia relaxed over China's changes to iron ore export rules, but war of words goes on (The Guardian). More here .... Australia reassures on China iron ore processing changes (Reuters). The Australians should be concerned. These changes may look like it is streamlining the rules, but I am willing to bet that China will be using these changes to make it easier for them to hinder Australian ore.

Will China Initiate A Trade War Against Countries That Are Demanding A Covid-19 Coronavirus Inquiry?

Daily Mail: Fears of global trade war with China after Beijing slaps an 80 per cent tariff on Australian exports starting TODAY as brutal punishment for them demanding coronavirus inquiry – which was backed by 100 nations including the UK

* Chinese government imposed a brutal and extraordinary 80 per cent tariff on Australian exports from today
* Diplomatic relations between nations deteriorated as Australia called for probe into the spread of coronavirus
* Britain and 100 other countries also demanded inquiry, leading to fears UK could be dragged into trade war

There are fears Britain could be dragged into a global trade war with China after Beijing slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian exports as punishment for demanding an independent coronavirus inquiry - which 100 nations including the UK supported.

On Monday, the World Health Organization bowed to calls from most of its member states to launch an independent probe into how it managed the international response to coronavirus, which has been clouded by finger-pointing between the US and China.

The 'comprehensive evaluation,' sought by a coalition of African, European and other countries, is intended to review 'lessons learned' from WHO's coordination of the global response to the virus outbreak.

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Update: China to impose 80pc tariff on Australian barley for next five years amid global push for coronavirus investigation (ABC News Online)

WNU Editor: China hoped that by targeting Australia it would intimidate everyone else. They failed .... 122 Countries Want an Investigation into How the Coronavirus Outbreak Happened, but China Says its 'Premature' (Newsweek).

China Threatens Australia If They Push For An Investigation On China's Coronavirus Response

IBTimes: China threatens Australia with import ban if inquiry into origin of coronavirus conducted

Last week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had pushed for an independent probe into the origin of coronavirus and China's role amid accusations by several countries that Bejing kept the world in dark about the seriousness of the disease.

China has threatened Australia that its pursuit of an independent inquiry into the origin of coronavirus pandemic may trigger a Chinese backlash.

Chinese Ambassawarned that the Australian government's inquiry could spark a Chinese consumer boycott of students and tourists visiting the country, and hit popular agricultural exports like beef and wine. The Chinese Ambassador to Australia also refused to accept the virus originated from Wuhan.

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WNU Editor: Australia is ignoring China's threats .... Australia Rebuffs China Boycott Threat to Press for International Inquiry Into Pandemic Origins (Newsweek). More here .... China hits back at Australia's push for COVID-19 investigation (ABC News Online).

More News On China Threatening Australia

China threatens economic consequences if Australia launches investigation of Beijing's handling of coronavirus -- The Hill
China threatens economic punishments if Australia investigates Beijing's coronavirus response -- FOX News
Australia Stokes China Tensions With Call for Virus Probe -- Bloomberg
Australia called 'gum stuck to China's shoe' by state media in coronavirus investigation stoush -- The Guardian
China warns of economic hit over COVID inquiry -- SKY News
Chinese burn! Beijing accuses Scott Morrison of blaming China for the coronavirus crisis to deflect public anger away from the bushfire crisis and the Australian response to the outbreak -- Daily Mail
China Threatens Australia Over 'Dangerous' Investigation Into Coronavirus -- Zero Hedge
China Threatens Australia If It Pushes For Investigation Over Coronavirus, Report Says -- Daily Wire
China's 'boycott diplomacy' over calls for coronavirus inquiry could harm Australian exporters -- Darren Lim and Victor Ferguson, ABC News Online

Chinese Spy Seeking Asylum In Australia Is Spilling China's State Secrets

ABC News Online: Chinese spy Wang Liqiang alleges Beijing ordered overseas murders, including in Australia

A man claiming to have worked as a secret Chinese operative for five years says Beijing has directed overseas assassinations, including on Australian soil.

Government sources have confirmed to the ABC Wang "William" Liqiang has detailed the sensational allegations as he seeks political asylum.

Nine Newspapers have reported Mr Wang is in hiding in Sydney after recently providing a sworn statement to Australia's domestic spy agency ASIO outlining Beijing's covert operations.

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More News On A Chinese Spy Seeking Asylum In Australia Spilling His Country's State Secrets

'Once I go back, I will be dead': Spy who has revealed China's espionage here and in other countries and has defected to Australia fears he will be killed if he returns home to his family -- Daily Mail
A Chinese spy has reportedly defected to Australia, offering its government a cache of intelligence secrets -- Business Insider
Chinese spy who ‘infiltrated’ Hong Kong, Taiwan, defects to Australia, report says -- SCMP/AFP
Chinese spy says he tried to infiltrate Hong Kong universities -- The Telegraph
'Chinese spy' seeking asylum in Australia - reports -- BBC

Australia Must Prepare For A Chinese Military Base In The Pacific

Click on Image to Enlarge

The Guardian: Australia must prepare for a Chinese military base in the Pacific

The cost of keeping China out of the region is too great. We must build forces that could counter its operations instead

Let’s be honest: Australians have never had much time for our South Pacific neighbours.

The island nations that lie to our north and north-east, stretching from Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to Vanuatu, Fiji and beyond, may be close to us geographically, but we have not found them especially interesting, important or profitable.

With a few honourable exceptions, and tourism aside, Australians have been indifferent to our nearest neighbours’ dramatic landscapes, their rich and diverse cultures, and their general welfare, and we have seen relatively few opportunities for trade.

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WNU Editor: Australia is not the only country that should be ready for a Chinese military base in the Pacific. So should the U.S. and it's other Asian allies like Japan.

Australia Tracking High-Tech Chinese Spy Ship

High-tech Chinese spy ship makes its way towards Australia (ABC News)

ABC News Online: Chinese spy ship heading towards Australia to monitor joint war games off Queensland

The Defence Force is closely tracking a high-tech Chinese spy ship as it makes its way towards Australia ahead of this month's Talisman Sabre war games on the Queensland coast.

Multiple military sources have confirmed to the ABC they are preparing for the imminent arrival of the Auxiliary General Intelligence (AGI) vessel, which is expected to closely monitor the massive biennial joint United States-Australian exercises from just outside Australian territorial waters.

On Saturday night, the Type 815G Dongdiao-class electronic surveillance ship was believed to be north of Papua New Guinea, having begun its voyage south towards Australia late last week.

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WNU Editor: This spy ship is showing up because of next month's biennial joint United States-Australian exercises on the Queensland coast.

Three Chinese Warships Dock In Sydney, Australia Unannounced

ABC News Online: Chinese warships arrive in Sydney as Beijing warns of South China Sea resolve

Three Chinese warships have arrived in Sydney Harbour amid increasingly strident rhetoric from Beijing over its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

A People's Liberation Army-Navy frigate, an auxiliary replenishment ship and an amphibious vessel are docking at Garden Island for a four-day stopover.

The arrival, which was not publicly announced by the Australian Government, came just hours after Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe struck an uncompromising tone on Taiwan and the South China Sea during a speech in Singapore.

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WNU Editor: No announcement before the visit? Very strange.

More News On Three Chinese Warships Docking In Sydney, Australia

Shock as flotilla of three Chinese warships arrive for 'secret' visit to Sydney - just days after it emerged Beijing's navy confronted Australian vessel in South China Sea -- Daily Mail
Chinese warships cause surprise in Sydney Harbour -- AFP
Chinese warships arrive in Sydney Harbor on Australian stopover -- CNN
Sydneysiders startled as three Chinese warships arrive in harbour -- Yahoo News Australia
Three Chinese warships dock in Sydney Harbour — but were they even invited? -- Business Insider
Chinese warships in Sydney: a surprise for the Australian public, and a show of strength from Beijing? -- SCMP
‘A bit of overanalysis’: Australian PM plays down ‘surprising’ visit by Chinese warships -- RT

Australian PM Warns China Is Changing The Balance Of Power In The Pacific

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Parliament. AFP

SCMP/AFP: Australian PM warns China’s ‘unprecedented influence’ in Pacific is changing the balance of power and challenging US interests

* Australia – a member of the “Five Eyes” Western intelligence alliance – finds itself in the middle of one of the 21st century’s geopolitical hotspots
* Tension between Canberra and Beijing has been heightened by decision to bar Chinese telecoms firms from operating Australia’s new 5G network

China’s rising and “unprecedented influence” in the Indo-Pacific region will challenge American interests, but confrontation must not define relations between the two powers, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Thursday.

In his first major foreign policy speech, Morrison tried to tread a careful line between Australia’s alliance with the United States and engaging a rapidly and evermore assertive China.

“Inevitably, in the period ahead, we will be navigating a higher degree of US-China strategic competition,” Morrison told the Asia Society Australia in Sydney.

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WNU Editor: The Australian PM issues his warning, but he is not going to get involved in the U.S. - China trade war .... Australia won't get into US-China trade war: PM (SBS News).

China Issues A Terrifying Warning To Australia Over Following U.S. Into A 'Cold War'

China has issued a terrifying warning to Australia after it emerged that the Morrison government would be increasing its naval cooperation with the US in the South China Sea

Daily Mail: 'Our fragile peace could be shattered by the slightest misstep': China's terrifying warning to Australia over following US into a 'Cold War'

* The China Daily has warned Australia of a 'Cold War' if it joins forces with the US
* US and China conflict over South China Sea could threaten $3 trillion in trade
* Last week Australia condemned Chinese militarisation of the South China Sea
* The warning comes in response to this and said US is leading us 'by the nose'
* PM Scott Morrison wants strong and peaceful relationships with both countries

China has issued a chilling warning to Australia after it emerged that the Morrison government would be increasing its naval cooperation with the US in the South China Sea.

An editorial published in the China Daily, the state media outlet, said that Australia was walking a ‘tightrope’ between the US and China.

It warned of a ‘Cold War’ if the government aligned too closely with the US.

China and America are caught in conflict over the South China Sea which sees a third of the world’s shipping pass through it every year, carrying more than $3 trillion in trade.

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WNU Editor: It is comments like this one that gives China the lousy rap that it deserves.

Hot To Respond To The Rising Chinese Empire

WNU Editor: One of the best analysis that I have read so far on the rise of China, and it is my must read for today .... ‘How empires begin.’ China has made its global move. This is Australia’s response (David Wroe, Sydney Morning Herald).

Chinese Vessel Believed To Be Spy Ship Docks Beside Australia's Largest Warship HMAS Adelaide At The Fijian Port Of Suva (Update)

Photo: The Navy suspects the ship is carrying out surveillance on the Australians. (Supplied)

ABC News Online: Chinese vessel believed to be spy ship docks next to HMAS Adelaide in Fiji

It may not have looked like much of a match — or a showdown for that matter — but when Australia's largest warship HMAS Adelaide arrived at the Fijian port of Suva on Saturday, it had an interesting neighbour.

A Chinese ship fitted with communications equipment docked alongside the new Canberra-class landing helicopter dock.

The Royal Australian Navy suspects the Chinese vessel is a spy ship, which deliberately arrived at the same time to carry out surveillance on the Australians.

HMAS Adelaide and other Australian warships visiting Fiji will "take the appropriate security precautions", but the surveillance craft is "just another ship", Captain Jim Hutton, Commander of the Navy's Joint Task Group 661, said.

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WNU Editor: The Deputy Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Mark Hammond who is on board the HMAS Adelaide is playing down concerns about the presence of the Chinese vessel .... calling it a "space surveillance ship, it's a scientific ship"

That may be true .... but when I look at the above picture, it sure as hell looks like a spy ship.

Fiji Permits A Chinese Spyship To Dock Beside Australia's Largest Warship

Photo: The HMAS Adelaide is expected to be carefully scrutinised by its temporary neighbour. (File Photo: CPL Kyle Genner)

ABC News Online: Chinese spy ship disguised as fishing boat to dock next to HMAS Adelaide in Fiji

It will not look like much of a match — or a showdown for that matter — but when Australia's largest warship HMAS Adelaide arrives at the Fijian port of Suva today, it will have an interesting neighbour.

The Royal Australian Navy, tipped off by Fijian officials, is expecting a Chinese "fishing vessel" to also dock, and nestle alongside the new Canberra-class landing helicopter dock.

However this Chinese fishing boat is tasked with pursuing a very different catch.

Beneath its bow is believed to be a whole gamut of surveillance equipment — it is also a spy ship intent on marine mischief, camouflaged to look like its more interested in tuna, marlin and dogfish.

Australia's Navy, like every navy around the world, is well-versed in these sorts of nautical games.

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WNU Editor:  Is this all a coincidence .... hmmmm .... I doubt it.

Three Australian Warships Were Challenged By The Chinese Military In The South China Sea

HMAS Toowoomba is among the ships challenged by the Chinese military while on deployment in South East Asia. (Supplied: Royal Australian Navy)

ABC News Online: Australian warships challenged by Chinese military in South China Sea

Three Australian warships were challenged by the Chinese military as they travelled through the disputed South China Sea earlier this month, the ABC can reveal.

The confrontations with the People's Liberation Army are believed to have occurred as China was conducting its largest ever naval exercises in the hotly contested waters.

Defence sources have confirmed HMAS Anzac, HMAS Toowoomba and HMAS Success were challenged by the PLA Navy as they were transiting towards Vietnam where they are now conducting a three-day goodwill visit in Ho Chi Minh City.

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WNU Editor: China is denying these reports .... Holding No Water: Beijing Denies Challenging Australia in S China Sea (Sputnik)

More News On Three Australian Warships Being Challenged By The Chinese Military In The South China Sea

China challenged Australian warships in South China Sea, reports say -- CNN
China says had 'encounter' with Australian navy in South China Sea -- Reuters
Australian warships 'challenged' by Chinese navy in South China Sea -- The Guardian
The Chinese navy challenged Australian warships in the South China Sea as it conducted its largest-ever naval parade -- Business Insider
Three Australian warships are confronted by the Chinese military in ‘robust’ dispute in the South China Sea -- Daily Mail
Chinese military 'challenged Australian warships in the South China Sea' -- The Telegraph
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australia should be able to sail its ships wherever it wants -- The West Australian

Relations Between China And Australia Are Becoming Increasingly Strained On The Issue Of Political Interference

The Diplomat: Australia and China Spat Over Foreign Interference Escalates

China summons the Australian ambassador for increasingly strained ties.

Relations between Australia and China have become increasingly strained recently.

On December 14, the Chinese foreign ministry admitted that it had summoned Jan Adams — the Australian ambassador to China — recently for “an important talk” with a top Chinese official.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang emphasized at the regular press briefing that “Australia should be very clear about China’s position on the relevant issue of our bilateral relations.”

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WNU Editor: China is now directly threatening Australia .... China scolds Australian navy chief amid fears tensions could worsen (The Australian). More here .... Top Chinese commander takes aim at Australia over South China Sea military moves (South China Morning Post).

More News On Tensions Between China And Australia Over Chinese Political Interference In Aussie Affairs

Australian ambassador summoned to China's foreign ministry as row over political interference intensifies -- South China Morning Post
China summons Australia's ambassador over influence row -- Deutsche Welle
Meddling row: China summons Oz envoy -- Asian Age/AFP
‘The Australian People Stand Up’: PM Turnbull Rebukes Beijing for Meddling in Domestic Politics -- Epoch Times

Is Australia Scared Of China?

Peter Jennings, RCD/The Strategist: China: Spy Ships and Shy Generals

The most obvious response to the Chinese intelligence-gathering ship snooping around in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Coral Sea would have been to put an RAAF P-3 maritime patrol aircraft right over the top of it. There’s nothing the Five Eyes countries won’t already know about the electronic eavesdropping capabilities of the 6,000-tonne Type 815 Dongdiao-class vessel, but that’s no reason not to add more information to our emissions libraries and to give the ship’s crew something to think about.

A second, slightly more lateral, response would have been to publish imagery from the P-3 so that the Australian community would have an idea what China’s newest intelligence-gathering vessel looks like.

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WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction .... this reluctance to confront the Chinese (even though their ship was in international waters) will have consequences .... the next time the Chinese are snooping around, they are going to be more "aggressive" and "blunt" in telegraphing their presence to the Aussies.

Chinese Spy Ship Off The Coast Of Australia (Update)

A Chinese spy ship was spotted off the Queensland coast monitoring Australia and US military exercises. (ABC News)

ABC News Online: China's state media warns of further warship deployment to Western waters

An influential Beijing-controlled news outlet has warned the recent deployment of a Chinese spy ship close to the Queensland coast is just the "beginning of China's future operations".

The ABC revealed on Saturday that the high-tech Auxiliary General Intelligence (AGI) vessel was sighted by the Defence Force just outside Australian territorial waters during this month's Talisman Sabre military exercises.

Senior military officials have privately described the People's Liberation Army (PLA) move as "provocative" and "unfriendly", but the Defence Department has insisted the incident did not affect the war games between Australian and US forces.

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WNU Editor: Yup .... Chinese military ships are popping up everywhere—and highlighting an embarrassing double standard (Steve Mollman, Quartz).

More News On The Chinese Deploying A Spy Ship Off The Coast Of Australia During Recent U.S.-Japan-Australia Naval Exercises

Chinese intel-gathering ship spotted near US-Australia exercise -- Defense News
Chinese spy ship acted within international law -- The Australian
Are Chinese Navy Spy Ships Within Exclusive Economic Zones Soon to Be a Fact of Life? -- The Diplomat
China's intelligence gathering at sea: Some implications -- The Interpreter
China's naval surveillance off Australia: Good news and bad -- The Interpreter