Australian warships encounter Chinese naval vessels in South China Sea, situation diffused

In a deepening rift, at least three Australian warships encountered Chinese war vessels in the disputed South China Sea as the two naval forces were locked in a confrontation on the former's way to Vietnam, as per international media reports. 

Chinese forces (People’s Liberation Army-Navy) issued warnings to Australia’s two Anzac-class frigates, HMAS Anzac and HMAS Toowoomba, and one Durance-class replenishment ship HMAS Success as the vessels were sailing for a goodwill port at Subic Bay.  

Australia’s Defence Department said in a statement that its three warships were on a course to traverse the northern Spratly Islands to its eventual destination of Ho Chi Minh City. It added that the ships had nearly sailed towards China’s artificial islands. However, the Australian government downplayed the incident, saying that the interaction, that is believed to have happened last week, was conducted in a safe environment.  

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"Maintaining security and safety at sea requires navies to be able to cooperate seamlessly," Commander of the Australian Joint Task Group Commodore Michael Harris said in a statement. 

Australian war vessels did not sail within the 12 nautical miles of the contested islands. The defence spokesperson revealed that at least 5 of their ships were on a voyage from 14-18 July and were bound for Hawaii for US-led military Pimpac, according to a report. He added that the foreign warships tackled the situation professionally, as vessels operating in international waters would be expected to.  

"The combined activities between our navies demonstrates a high degree of interoperability and capability between Australia, Japan and the US," added Commodore Michael Harris.

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Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) in Hawaii

Meanwhile, on July 21, Australia’s Department of Defense confirmed in an official statement that Japan, the US and Australia were conducting the trilateral passage in the Philippine Sea to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) in Hawaii.

It added that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Task Group was conducting an exercise with USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, which includes the United States Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam and guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Akizuki-class destroyer JS Teruzuki. The trilateral passage was scheduled to take place on 23 July. 

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(Images Credit: Australia Department of Defense)