Australia tracks hi-tech Chinese research ship off its coast
‘I would prefer that it wasn’t there’, Australian PM Anthony Albanese said on Monday of the ship, which recently visited New Zealand
“It’s been in New Zealand on a joint research operation,” Albanese said when asked about the vessel by a journalist in Perth.
According to Australian media, the Chinese vessel is a hi-tech research ship.
“This isn’t the first time that a similar vessel has been around the Australian coast. It occurred in 2020, for example … Australia, as you would expect, is monitoring this,” Albanese said.
Asked if he knew what sort of research the vessel was conducting and what his government has done to “protect undersea cables”, Albanese said he would not, “for obvious reasons, broadcast everything that we’re doing. But we are keeping an eye on this”.
I would prefer that it wasn’t there
“The Australian Defence Force are monitoring what is happening. It’s going from New Zealand, we expect it to go around to China around that way,” the prime minister continued, adding: “I would prefer that it wasn’t there.”