Australian navy to begin live fire exercise with China’s PLA

The Royal Australian Navy plans to conduct “live fire” exercises with China despite the serious tension between China and the U.S over nearby disputed territories. However, Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have played down the seriousness of the activity.

The exercise has been a long-planned one. The Australian Navy’s HMAs Stuart and HMAS Arunta are already in the Zhanjiang port in China as planned by the nations. The two warships are prepared to engage with Chinese fleet of ships for the live fire exercise on Monday, along with a western military force that prevails in the southern part of the said Chinese port to the south west of Hong Kong.

The two ANZAC frigates arrived in China on Saturday for the fire exercises with the PLA Navy’s South Sea Fleet on Monday. A week before, the U.S. had sent a warship through the area to express the “freedom of navigation.”

Defence Force head Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin opined that the live fire act was the chance to show how to work in collaboration with regional navies and to show other naval groups what they can do. The chief claimed that the activity was not difficult to plan and balance so far as Australia was concerned. “No, it’s part of the relationship we have with a lot of the regional navies in the development between the defence forces. So, we shouldn’t make it more than what it actually is,” he said as quoted by the ABC .

On the other hand, International Security Program Director Euan Graham said that Australia is proud to share the comfort zone with the Chinese Navy. “The question has to be the current timing and whether this sending a mixed signal with America just having launched its Freedom of Navigation Operation in the South China Sea,” he added.

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