A second Chinese spy vessel is on track to enter waters off Australia’s northeast coast, adding to Beijing’s surveillance presence in the area as joint military exercises between Australia and the U.S. kicked off last week, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The vessels are expected to monitor the Talisman Sabre exercises, a routine military collaboration training between the U.S. and Australia which take place every two years. Although Beijing has utilized intelligence-gathering measures on previous occasions, this is the first time the country has deployed a second vessel and marks an “unusual" development, ABC said, citing defense force officials. In 2019, a Chinese ship remained just outside territorial waters but within Australia’s exclusive economic zone, according to the ABC. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Source: Mint July 18, 2021 01:18 UTC