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Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Australia says China likely to spy on military drills with US
A Chinese ship was observed moving through the Torres Strait off the Australian coast. (Australian Defense Force/AP pic) SYDNEY : Australia's government said Sunday it expects China to spy on major military drills it is conducting with the US and other allies. It also renewed a charge – denounced by Beijing as a 'false narrative' – that China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The comments by a government minister came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join in the annual Talisman Sabre exercise from Sunday across Australia and Papua New Guinea. 'The Chinese military has observed these exercises since 2017, and it would be very unusual if they didn't do that this time,' said Pat Conroy, Australia's minister for the defence industry and for Pacific Island affairs. 'We'll obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia,' he told Australian public broadcaster ABC. 'People observe these exercises to collect intelligence around procedures, around the electronic spectrum and the use of communications, and we'll adjust accordingly so that we manage that leakage.' The strategically important South Pacific region is at the centre of a diplomatic scramble for influence pitting China against its Western rivals. 'We're seeing in my portfolio of the Pacific, China seeking to secure a military base in the region,' said Conroy, who has previously made the same assessment. 'We're working very hard to be the primary security partner of choice for the region, because we don't think that's a particularly optimal thing for Australia.' China inked a secretive security pact with Pacific nation Solomon Islands in 2022. Although the details have never been published, the United States and close ally Australia fear it may be the prelude to some kind of permanent Chinese base. Australia wants 'a balanced region where no one is dominated and no one dominates', Conroy said. China's embassy in Fiji this month insisted claims that it wanted to set up a military base in the region were 'false narratives' driven by 'ulterior motives'. Beijing has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building sports stadiums, presidential palaces, hospitals and roads in Pacific island nations. Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Nauru have in recent years severed longstanding diplomatic links with Taiwan in favour of China.
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First Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
‘Entirely unacceptable': Germany says Chinese military laser-attacked its security mission in Red Sea
Germany has said that Chinese military targeted a German aircraft with a laser while it was deployed in the Red Sea on a security mission. read more In this photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, the People's Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang travels in the Torres Strait off Australia's coast, on February 11, 2025. AP Germany on Tuesday said that Chinese military targeted a German aircraft operating in the Red Sea area with a laser. In a post on X, German Foreign Office said that the Chinese vessel targeted the German ship during its deployment in the Red Sea as part of the European Union's (EU) Operation Aspides. Germany summoned Chinese Ambassador Shi Mingde and registered protest. The Chinese military employed a laser targeting a German aircraft in the EU operation #ASPIDES. Endangering German personnel & disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable. The Chinese ambassador was summoned to the Federal Foreign Office today. — GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) July 8, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This is a developing story. It will be updated as details emerge.
SBS Australia
04-07-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
Retro Radio: Bro. John Joel Vergara on life as a seminarian
John Joel Vergara temporarily left the seminary in the Philippines but decided he wanted to pursue serving the Catholic Church and completed his studies in Melbourne. He was ordained a Catholic Priest in September 2006 While in the seminary, during breaks, he worked as a labourer to experience civilian life. He currently serves as a Chaplain for the Australian Defense Force. LISTEN TO SBS Filipino 04/07/2025 11:26 Filipino 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino 📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit or stream on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Youtube Podcasts , and SBS Audio app.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Australia to deploy 100 soldiers to help Ukraine in war against Russia
Australia will deploy up to 100 soldiers and a military aircraft to Europe in an effort to support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Defense Minister Richard Marles announced the contributions at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) leaders summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday. At the request of NATO and Poland , Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft in August along with 100 Australian Defense Force personnel. Part of Operation Kudu, the deployment is designed to protect an international gateway for humanitarian and military assistance into Ukraine and will not be direct combat roles. The deployment is expected to conclude by November and will compliment Australia's more than $1.5billion in support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022 . 'Australia is proud of its longstanding operational partnership with NATO,' Mr Marles said in announcing the commitments on Wednesday. 'The deployment of an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft will again showcase our ability to operate from Europe, alongside NATO and partners, in support of Ukraine and international peace and security.' Leaders of the defensive alliance descended on The Hague on Tuesday for two days of talks on the conflict and Washington's uncertain commitment to NATO. Representatives of the member states, including many European nations, the UK, the US and Canada, are expected to commit five per cent of their national outputs to defence and related spending. Australia is not a NATO member but is considered one of its Indo-Pacific partners alongside Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand. During the summit, Australia also imposed a fresh wave of financial sanctions and travel bans on 37 individuals and financial sanctions on seven entities. Mr Marles said the sanctions will target Russia's defense, energy, transport, insurance, electronic and finance sectors and proponents of disinformation and propaganda. Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the sanctions as a sign of Australia's deep ties with NATO member states. 'Our targeted sanctions reflect our close coordination with key NATO partners, including the UK, Canada and the European Union.
Miami Herald
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US Allies Stage War Games Near China
Australia and Japan—both United States allies in the Indo-Pacific region—held a joint military exercise in the East China Sea, where China has conducted controversial activities. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email. Both Canberra and Tokyo are members of the U.S.-led strategic alignment known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which coordinates on regional security to counter China. Beijing has criticized the informal grouping, accusing it of fueling regional tensions. In the East China Sea, China has maintained a Coast Guard presence near a disputed islet group administered by Japan. Tokyo has also lodged protests over a suspected Chinese fossil-fuel facility in the area, claiming it violates a bilateral agreement on gas field development. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced on Tuesday that its destroyer JS Haguro conducted a bilateral exercise with the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney in the East China Sea on Sunday, reinforcing their cooperation to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Australia is Japan's "special strategic partner," the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said, highlighting their shared universal values and strategic security interests. It added that it will deepen cooperation with the Royal Australian Navy to promote peace, security, and stability. Two days after the drill, the Australian warship made a port call at Japan's Yokosuka naval base, according to photos shared by a ship spotter. The vessel visited the base—located near Tokyo—for replenishment and is scheduled to depart on June 14, local media reported. The Australian Defense Force said the Sydney is on a three-month-long mission—Regional Presence Deployment 25-2—in the Indo-Pacific region, demonstrating the South Pacific country's "ongoing commitment to supporting regional security and stability." During the deployment, which is scheduled to conclude next month, the Australian warship monitored North Korea's illicit maritime activities—banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions—in waters around Japan last month, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The Australian Defense Force said the United Nations sanctions limit North Korea's imports of refined petroleum and crude oil, as well as its exports of coal, adding that they support the goal of achieving North Korea's "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization." The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said on Tuesday: "The Self Defense Fleet maintains readiness and contributes to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, not only for the defense of Japan but also for the realization of a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' in cooperation with allied and like-minded navies." The Australian Defense Force said on May 1: "Australia and its partners share a commitment to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, and other maritime rights under international law, particularly in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." It remains to be seen how China will respond to the Australian military presence in the East China Sea. The development comes after the Chinese navy circumnavigated Australia. Related Articles Exotic Mushrooms Had 'More Flavor,' Woman Who Poisoned Family Tells CourtNetflix Password Theft Leads To Payback Across the World: 'VPN'd to Australia'China Warns US Ally Over Plan To Take Back Strategic PortMap Shows US Command Ship in Pacific Amid China Navy Challenge 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
