West PH Sea: Australia monitors ‘unusual’ presence of Chinese warships

A handout photo taken on February 11, 2025, and released on February 13, 2025, by the Australian Defence Force shows China’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, part of a task group operating to the northeast of Australia. Agence France-Presse

SYDNEY — Australia was Thursday monitoring the “unusual” presence of three Chinese warships sailing off its eastern coast, the defense minister said.

Three Chinese navy vessels—a frigate, a cruiser and a supply tanker—were spotted last week in waters off mainland Australia.

They have since charted a course taking them down Australia’s eastern coast.

READ: US, Japan, Australia to join PH in patrolling West Philippine Sea

“We are keeping a close watch on them, and we will make sure we are watching every move,” Defense Minister Richard Marles told Sky News.

“It’s not unprecedented. But it is an unusual event.”

Marles stressed the vessels were “not a threat” and that they were “engaging in accordance with international law.”

Canberra rebuked Beijing last week for “unsafe” military conduct, accusing a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea.

READ: PH expresses concern on China’s flares over Australian plane in SCS

Beijing swiftly hit back, accusing the Australian plane of “violating Chinese sovereignty and endangering Chinese national security.”

It was the latest in a string of tense encounters between China and Australia in the increasingly contested airspace and shipping lanes of the Asia-Pacific region.

A Chinese fighter jet was accused of intercepting an Australian Seahawk helicopter in international airspace in 2024, dropping flares across its flight path.

In 2023, a Chinese destroyer was accused of bombarding submerged Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in waters off Japan, causing minor injuries.