Australia to keep an eye on Chinese 'spy' ship amid largest joint military drill with US

In a recent development in  offshore international apparatus, Australian authorities stated y have been closely monitoring a Chinese spy ship that is set to arrive in region in an explicit attempt to observe a joint military exercise with United States off coast of Queensland. 

According to Voice of America (VOA), auxiliary general intelligence Chinese vessel is expected to monitor Talisman Sabre 2021 exercises that commenced on Wednesday, July 14. Purportedly, exercises are designed to strengn alliance of two countries and boost combat readiness; drills include amphibious landings, groud force maeuvring, urban operations, air combat and maritime operations too. 

Canberra, on July 15, said, "It is fully expected a ship of this class to arrive in our region" during military exercises with US

Largest bilateral training exercise between Australia-US

In upcoming weeks, Chinese electronic vessel is anticipated to observe  Talisman Sabre war games. Chinese vessel is expected to persist outside Australian territorial waters to monitor multinational war games. According to Australian officials, y are t worried about its presence to thwart slated war drills in Queensland. A similar ship was tracked during military maeuvres in Australia back in 2019. According to experts, such surveillance has become trite about w.

Ar report by VOA suggests that it is headed to become largest bilateral training exercise between Australia and US.

Australian Air Commodore Stuart Bellingham said, "In addition to United States, this year will involve participating forces from Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and UK. Due to COVID-19, you will tice fewer international participants this year compared to past."

A military analyst and a former Australian Defense Department Secretary, Hugh White, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation that such kind of thing should be expected to happen and one must expect to see an increase as Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific become "increasingly a atre of strategic rivalry as it is."

Australia-China ties hardened over time 

update surfaces as diplomatic ties between Australia and China have deteriorated over years over multiple commercial and geopolitical feuds.

Earlier this year, Australia scrapped controversial Belt and Road (BRI) agreement with China claiming  deal was contrary to national interest. Lately, it appears China's Xi Jinping has received a cold shoulder from various countries and EU too. While countries eir, cleared ir stance towards Chinese Communist Party-led nation or strengned ir relations with one of world's largest trading resources.

Australia's PM Scott Morrison had eliminated agreement signed between State government of Victoria and National Development and Reform Commission of China, which was signed on October 8, 2018. In April 2021, Australian Federal government even terminated a framework agreement signed on October 23, 2019. Few countries even feared that lending Belt and Road Initiative entails could lead to unsustainable debt levels in a developing nation. 

Relations between Australia and its largest trading partner have been in freefall since April last year after Canberra provoked Beijing by initiating an independent probe into origins of contagion of  COVID-19 virus; suspiciously Wuhan Lab Leak ory. Beijing has since inflicted a range of trade reprisals, including imposing amplified tariffs on Australian barley and wine while blocking coal shipments.