It additionally renewed a cost – denounced by Beijing as a “false narrative” – that China needs to ascertain a navy base within the South Pacific.
The feedback by a authorities minister got here as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day go to to China to bolster not too long ago repaired commerce ties.
Greater than 30,000 navy personnel from 19 nations are set to affix within the annual Talisman Sabre train from Sunday throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea.
“The Chinese language navy have noticed these workouts since 2017 and it could be very uncommon in the event that they did not do this this time,” mentioned Pat Conroy, Australia’s minister for the defence business and for Pacific Island affairs.
“We’ll clearly observe their actions and monitor their presence round Australia,” he instructed Australian public broadcaster ABC.
“Folks observe these workouts to gather intelligence round procedures, across the digital spectrum and using communications, and we’ll alter accordingly in order that we handle that leakage.”
The strategically vital South Pacific area is on the centre of a diplomatic scramble for affect pitting China in opposition to its Western rivals.
“We’re seeing in my portfolio of the Pacific, China looking for to safe a navy base within the area,” mentioned Conroy, who has beforehand made the identical evaluation.
“We’re working very exhausting to be the first safety companion of alternative for the area, as a result of we do not suppose that is a very optimum factor for Australia.”
China inked a secretive safety pact with Pacific nation Solomon Islands in 2022.
Though the small print have by no means been revealed, america and shut ally Australia concern it might be the prelude to some form of everlasting Chinese language base.
Australia needs “a balanced area the place nobody is dominated and nobody dominates”, Conroy mentioned.
China’s embassy in Fiji this month insisted claims that it needed to arrange a navy base within the area had been “false narratives” pushed by “ulterior motives”.
Beijing has spent tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} constructing sports activities stadiums, presidential palaces, hospitals and roads in Pacific island nations.
Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Nauru have lately severed longstanding diplomatic hyperlinks with Taiwan in favour of China.
