Chinese warships: Intelligence chief Andrew Shearer says ‘provocative’ Chinese military showing sign of intent

China’s unprecedented deployment of warships off Australia’s east coast is a demonstration of Beijing’s increasing intent to project military power into Australia’s immediate region, intelligence chief Andrew Shearer has said.

Mr Shearer’s warning came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was confronted on live television on Monday and told that he gave the public no confidence that he would encourage China to respect Australia’s autonomy.

China sent a task force comprising a destroyer, frigate and a supply ship to the Tasman Sea to conduct live-fire exercises between Australia and New Zealand on the weekend.

On Tuesday morning, the New Zealand Defence Force said in a statement that the Task Group was about 350 nautical miles northeast of Australia’s Bass Strait.

While the military drills are allowed in international waters, China did not provide sufficient warning for its drills, causing commercial pilots flying overhead to reroute — something the Government described as disconcerting and complained to China about.

Mr Shearer, Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), said it was the first time that the Chinese had sent its Navy so far south and that it was a deliberate provocation aimed at testing and shaping Australia’s response.

“Our preliminary view is that the deployment demonstrates China’s growing capability to project military power, into our immediate region now matched by an increasing intent to do so,” he said.

“This is the furthest south a PLA-N task group has operated.

“And at least some of its activities seem designed to be provocative.

“We judge Beijing intends to normalise this sort of presence, shape the responses of those in the region and observe and learn from our reactions.

“The largest and least transparent military buildup since the Second World War will mean that the PLA will be able to operate at greater distances from mainland China, in greater numbers including into Australia’s immediate seas and skies.”

New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins told New Zealand radio that the type of Chinese warships and their capability had never been seen exercising in the area before.

“The weapons they have are extremely capable,” Ms Collins told RNZ Radio.

“One has 112 vertical launch cells and has reported anti-ship ballistic missile range of 540 nautical miles.”

Mr Shearer declined to be drawn on the weapons capability but told Estimates that: “The presence of a guided missile cruiser does demonstrate a fairly formidable amount of military power.”

Mr Shearer’s warning came just hours before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was confronted on live television and told he provided no confidence that he could stand up to China and in Australia’s interests.

Appearing on Q and A the Prime Minister was asked by audience member Michael Doyle if he would take action to demonstrate to the Chinese that the aggressive action would have consequences.

Mr Albanese has declined to raise the issue at leader level and said that China had a right to conduct it’s actions as they were internationally legal.

Asked if he was satisfied with the prime minister’s actions, Mr Doyle said no.

If we did the same sort of thing in the South China Sea and disrupted the Chinese commercial flight paths, we’d have hell to pay as a country.

“You haven’t answered the question, concerning assertive action, being firm and forceful,” he told the prime minister.

“Your answer doesn’t give me any confidence that you can respect Australia’s autonomy.”

“Well, Michael, the fact is when you deal with another country, you have to deal on the basis of facts,

“The fact is that Australian ships travel to the South China Sea, and where that is – the hint’s there in the name – very clearly.

“And we participate in those activities, including our navy,

“Frankly, China is participating in activities outside of our economic zone.”

Speaking also at Estimates, Air Services Australia boss Rob Sharp said a commercial Virgin Australia pilot first heard the Chinese broadcast the live fire exercise and they didn’t know if it was a hoax.

“It was in fact a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers that a foreign warship was broadcasting, that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles east off our coast,” Mr Sharp said.

“So that’s how we first found out about the issue.”

Deputy Peter Curran added: “At that stage, we didn’t know whether it was a potential hoax or real.”

Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie said on Sky that the China had set Australia a test and that the Prime Minister had failed.

“If this was a game of cricket, what we’ve seen over the last few days is what Steve Waugh would have called mental disintegration.

“But it’s not cricket, it’s geopolitics and the stakes are very high for our country.”

He said the Prime Minister was enabling China.

“China always talks about mutual respect,” he said.

“Well, if we did the same sort of thing in the South China Sea and disrupted the Chinese commercial flight paths, we’d have hell to pay as a country.

“They’ve done it in our backyard and the Prime Minister has been at pains to explain it away.

“He’s justified this behaviour and I think that shows that he’s not fit to lead this country.

“He’s a weak leader and he’s not across the national security brief.”

The United States former Defence Attaché Ray Powell said that it was not equivalent to say drills in the South China Sea were akin to China’s actions in Australia’s backyard, as the Tasman Sea was not a major shipping route for multiple countries.

He warned that Australia’s restrained response would be read by Beijing as weakness and prompt more shows of force.