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Chinese navy ships round out Australian circuit with sail near base hosting US submarine

Australian Defence Force says fleet led by Type 055 destroyer Zunyi is northwest of Perth where USS Minnesota is docked

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The Chinese navy ships Zunyi, Hengyang and Weishanhu have conducted combat exercises near Australia and are believed to be soon heading back towards China after being tracked northwest of Perth on Thursday. Photo: CCTV
Enoch Wong
A Chinese naval fleet led by the Type 055 destroyer Zunyi is nearing the completion of its unprecedented circumnavigation of Australia, which included sailing near a strategically sensitive defence facility off Western Australia.
The Australian Defence Force said on Thursday morning the flotilla was 630 nautical miles (1,166km) northwest of Perth. It was the ninth official update since Tuesday last week and was accompanied by surveillance images taken on Monday. Analysts suggest the warships may soon transit through the Sunda Strait, marking their return to the South China Sea.

Some analysts said the Zunyi task group’s passage near Australia went beyond military posturing, with the presence of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships near Perth carrying intelligence-gathering implications.

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The task group, which also includes a Type 054A frigate named Hengyang and a Type 903 replenishment vessel, Weishanhu, has been closely monitored by Australian defence assets.

The warships’ passage near Perth comes amid continued cooperation between Australia and the US under the Aukus defence pact. The US Navy’s attack submarine USS Minnesota has been docked at HMAS Stirling naval base since last month, likely for nuclear submarine training and operational coordination between the two allies.

Aukus, a trilateral security alliance between Australia, Britain and the US, was established in September 2021 and will equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. The pact is framed as a measure to strengthen deterrence and promote a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.

The Chinese deployment marks one of the most significant PLA Navy operations near Australian waters, with the warships sailing closer to the country’s shores than before.

The ADF reported that the three ships were 170 nautical miles south-southwest of Perth on Tuesday, but some media outlets calculated that it was as close as 50-60 nautical miles.

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