AUKUS News, Views, Analysis.

ACuriousPLAFan said:

China, whose frontyard has already been traversed by American SSNs for countless times and for decades:

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The opposition leader has slammed the prime minister's response to a Chinese research ship south of Australia, saying he believes the vessel is gathering intelligence and mapping the route of Australia's undersea cables.

The dual purpose vessel the Tan Suo Yi Hao was conducting joint research with New Zealand scientists before travelling west along Australia's southern coastline, outside of Australia's exclusive economic zone.

NZ media have reported the submersibles took Chinese and NZ scientists to the bottom of the Puysegur Trench, 6 kilometres below sea level, on a joint research mission.

Anthony Albanese told reporters in Perth on Monday that he'd "prefer" the ship wasn't in Australian waters, but suggested China hadn't broken international law.

"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," he said.

Mr Albanese said the Australian Defence Force was monitoring the ship as it makes its way back to China.

But Peter Dutton took aim at Mr Albanese's response, accusing him of "weakness" on national security.

"It is unbelievable that the prime minister can't explain to the Australian people what is happening here," he told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

He also slammed Mr Albanese's comparison between Australian naval exercises and Chinese activities in Australian waters as "completely offensive to the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy". "The prime minister needs to explain that statement," he said.

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The New Zealand Government says it granted consent for a Chinese research vessel to undertake joint marine research in New Zealand waters – the same one the Australian Prime Minister said he would prefer not to have in his country’s waters.

Niwa (NZ National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) said researchers from eight different countries were aboard the RV Tan Suo Yi Hao for its two-month research voyage, including two Niwa scientists on each month-long leg.

It was the second joint collaboration with New Zealand exploring the marine biodiversity at ocean depths with its deep-sea submersible, Fen Dou Zhe, Niwa said in a statement.

The expedition went to the Puysegur Trench and lasted 56 days, from January 25 to March 21, involving scientists from China, New Zealand, Malaysia, Denmark, Germany, France, Brazil and India.

In a statement, an NZDF spokesperson said it was aware of the location and movements of the vessel, as NZDF “maintains maritime domain awareness of ships in our region”.

They confirmed the ship had requested to undertake marine scientific research in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said “following engagement with New Zealand officials and in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, consent was provided”.

“Chinese Research Vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao requested consent to undertake marine scientific research in New Zealand’s EEZ between January to March 2025,” MFAT said in a statement.

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The Puysegur mission was the ninth in a series of crewed trench expeditions using the Fendouzhe – the world’s only full-ocean-depth crewed submersible, which has already taken international scientists to the Mariana Trench, the deepest on Earth, and other key trenches.

The research expedition’s chief scientist, Du Mengran, told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that the team completed 32 dives in the Tasman Sea “despite extremely harsh sea conditions”. Nine of the dives were conducted by international scientists, she added.

According to Du, the researchers observed an array of unusual life forms at depths of more than 6,000 metres – an area known as the hadal zone – and collected both biological and geological samples. “At least half of the collected specimens are likely to be previously unknown hadal species. We also discovered the deepest cold seep ecosystem ever found in the southern hemisphere,” she said.

Marine biologist Daniel Leduc from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, told CCTV that he hoped the collaboration would continue. “There are lots of other areas in New Zealand and beyond that need to be explored, [like] other trenches and other types of habitats in the deep sea,” he said.

Biochemist Ronnie Glud, from the University of Southern Denmark, praised China’s leadership in developing the Fendouzhe submersible and making it available to the global community. “It’s an astonishing and admirable thing,” he said.

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Lethe said:

Another Chinese vessel in vague proximity to Australia has prompted another hysterical reaction from local media, government and opposition figures. This time, it wasn't even a naval vessel:

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