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Australia is monitoring a Chinese research ship off the coast of South Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked on Monday about reports a “spy ship” is tracking Australia’s deep-sea submarine cable during a press conference in Perth.
The Tan Suo Yi Hao was reportedly located within Australia’s exclusive economic zone, according to Sky News. It’s suspected of collecting intelligence after performing a joint exploration exercise with New Zealand.
Albanese confirmed the vessel had been in New Zealand on a joint research operation and was now travelling around Australia’s coast.
SBS News understands the vessel departed Wellington on 23 March and has not reported any intentions of visiting an Australian port.
It’s heading west and not currently in Australia’s exclusive zone.
The vessel is expected to return to China on 30 April.
“This isn’t the first time that a similar vessel has been around the Australian coast. It occurred in 2020, for example, just to give one example,” Albanese told reporters.
“Australia, as you would expect, is monitoring this.”
Albanese did not comment on what monitoring meant but said the government had “every confidence in defence agencies”.
“We won’t, for obvious reasons, broadcast everything that we’re doing. But we’re keeping an eye on this as we do,” he said.
Albanese said he would, of course, “prefer it wasn’t there”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the Chinese vessel had been in New Zealand on a joint research operation and was now travelling around Australia’s coast. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
“But we live in circumstances where — just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas — this vessel is there,” Albanese said.
“What our task is to do is to make sure that we represent Australia’s national interests. We do that each and every day. And I have every confidence in our defence force and our security agencies to do just that.”
A spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said authorities are aware of the vessel’s movements.
“We know exactly where it is; we know the direction it is heading, and the speed it’s moving in that direction,” they said.
Earlier this year, Albanese was questioned over why a Virgin pilot had been the first to alert authorities to .
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