For almost a month, Australian forces were on alert as a fleet of Chinese Navy ships made unannounced voyages around the continent. The ships have entered and left Australia's exclusive economic zone. They fired live shots near the commercial airspace and forced dozens of civilian flights on the re-loo. They passed Perth, Western Australia, a few days after visiting a US nuclear submarine at a nearby naval base.
Finally, last weekend, the Chinese ship headed north towards Indonesia.
Australian officials have repeatedly asserted the public that the existence and actions of Chinese ships are completely legal under international law. However, the voyage was the farthest ever that the Chinese army has ever had, and was extremely uncomfortable for Australia.
It forced the nation to strongly see its own aging fleet, its heavy military dependence on its distant alliance, the United States, and the growing muscular nature of its biggest trading partner, China.
There was nothing about the deployment of three Chinese ships of technically impressive or strategic importance – cruisers, frigates and restocking tankers. China's formidable navy has long demonstrated the vast distances and the best ship's capabilities to cover.
Instead, it highlighted the inadequacy of Australia. Its own navy is the oldest and smallest since World War II, analysts and former naval officials say. There are two tankers, which are important for navigating long distances as the Chinese did, but neither has been commissioned for months. Two Chinese warships have a total of 144 vertically fired missile cells, with 10 warships in the Australian Navy having a total of 200.
“The Chinese show us in our own backyard,” said Marcus Helia, a military spending and capabilities expert who previously worked for the Australian Department of Defense.
“We can't even sail our country. They're really rubbing it,” he said. Of course, the Australian army could rely on friendly countries like New Zealand. New Zealand has refueled Australian ships in the Tasman Sea as they jointly monitor Chinese ships.
The fires ignited by a blossoming fleet in Australia show how the most solid allies of the American allies can take advantage of the moments they are forced to revisit long-standing assumptions about their relationship with Washington. The United States has not officially commented on Chinese ships, despite being consistent with the US Commander-in-Chief and the visit of the US submarines to Australia.
Chinese officials say they are trained in international waters, as is the case with all navys, and there was nothing to explain or apologise.
It has not stopped speculation about Australia's timing and the messages it was designed to send. The ships have surrounded Australia as the Trump administration overturns expectations about US continued support for allies like Europe and Ukraine. Australia is about to hold a federal election. Federal elections almost guarantee that the vessels will guarantee everything.
“The Chinese Navy shows Australia's vulnerability at the exact moment when the US demonstrates America's credibility,” wrote Peter Harcher, political and international editor of the Sydney Morning Herald last month. Between Washington's “Bakkaan” and the Chinese military drumbeat, he writes:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government has worked hard for the past few years to stabilize relations with China. China reached a low point under the previous government, which made China crippling trade restrictions.
At the same time, Australia doubled its military alliance with the United States. In February, it paid Washington $5 billion as a down payment to strengthen the US submarine industry, and ultimately received the US nuclear submarine that the US and the UK used as part of a security agreement known as Orcas.
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses told Australian counterpart Richard Mars that President Trump is “very aware and supports” the tripartite agreement. But a few weeks later, when reporters asked Trump if he would discuss the British prime minister with Augs, he asked, “What does that mean?”
Australia first detected a Chinese ship in early February, one to the north and the other to the northeast. They followed them as they moved south along the East Coast and entered Australia's exclusive economic zone near Sydney.
The uncertainty on the ship became an alarm that was completely blown away on February 21st. It's when a commercial pilot flying through the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand hears radio broadcasts from Chinese ships warning live fire drills. The pilot has notified Australian Civil Aviation Services. Almost 50 planes will change course.
The drill was a surprise to both Australia and New Zealand, but both admitted they were legal. One ship could carry a land attack missile or a ballistic missile on the ship.
The Chinese reaction essentially: get used to it.
“As a major power in the region and a country that is very often caring for, it is normal for China to send ships to different parts of the region to carry out different types of activities,” China's Australian ambassador Xiao Qian told Australian national broadcasters.
Already the world's largest and rapidly expanding Chinese navy, it is also more aggressive in giving it a sense of presence elsewhere in Asia. The Japanese Defense Minister said last month that a Chinese naval vessel had passed through the waters around the Lycuis Islands. This is a chain that spreads between Kyushu and Taiwan, with a dramatic increase from 68 times the total last year, a 21 times the total in 2021.
Rowan Moffit, former deputy director of the Australian Navy, said: “I don't think there's any reason to propose an intention to use their capabilities today. If the intentions change, they can.”
But for some, the Chinese fleet reminded us of the possibility that hostile forces could reach Australia's coast.
“We thought the conflict was a choice to join the other side of the world,” said Jennifer Parker, a navy expert and a two-year navy veteran.
Last year, Albanese's government announced an ambitious goal of expanding and updating Australia's naval fleet, but the results are not expected to be seen until the 2030s, with some experts skeptical that local industry could offer.
Australian warships sailed near China through the Taiwan Strait and participated in a joint movement in the South China Sea. (And a spokesman for China's Ministry of Defense asked if Australia would inform Beijing of a movement near China.) But they are trafficked corridors where the interests of multiple countries intersect, and the only reason they are in Australia or the Tasman Sea is to send a message.
“That particular message is that we can put you at risk,” he said.
