Over the past two weeks, Australia has been closely monitoring the activities and navigation of vessels from the People’s Liberation Army Navy of China (PLAN) near its territory.. The situation peaked in February when units of the so-called Task Group 107, consisting of a frigate, a destroyer, and a support ship, conducted a series of live-fire exercises, disrupting maritime and air traffic in the Tasman Sea.
In recent years, the People’s Liberation Army Navy has enhanced its power projection capabilities and its ability to sustain operational deployments of surface assets at increasingly greater distances from its naval bases in mainland China. The presence of Task Group 107 is yet another demonstration of the Asian giant’s growing naval reach, adding to recent deployments of carrier strike groups in the eastern Pacific and the participation of its vessels in joint exercises with other Indo-Pacific nations.
As for Task Group 107, which has been operating in and out of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone since late February, it consists of three ships: the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Zunyi, the Type 054A frigate Hengyang, and the Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu.
Undoubtedly, the most critical moment of the Chinese naval presence near Australia occurred when the ships conducted anti-surface and anti-air warfare drills involving live-fire exercises. According to Australian authorities, these actions were not properly communicated through the appropriate channels.
In statements reported by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Richard Marles, who described these activities as unusual, he said: “What China did was issue a notice stating its intention to conduct live-fire drills, and by that, I mean a transmission that was picked up by airlines—literally commercial planes flying across the Tasman Sea.”
From Beijing, officials responded by asserting that these activities were part of routine drills conducted by their military forces and that they were carried out “… in accordance with relevant international laws and practices.”
Nevertheless, the ships of Task Group 107 continue to operate in the region under close surveillance by aerial and naval assets of the Australian Defence Force. In its latest update, Australian authorities reported that the Chinese vessels were operating “… approximately 480 nautical miles (890 kilometers) southwest of Adelaide.”
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