Australians enjoying a sunny winter morning were surprised by the sight of three Chinese warships steaming into to Sydney Harbour Monday, forcing the prime minister to reassure jittery residents.

Amid heightened concern about Beijing's growing clout and military muscle flexing, the appearance of a Chinese flagged task group and around 700 sailors came as a surprise.

"It may have been a surprise to others, but it certainly wasn't a surprise to the government," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison, trying to dampen concerns.

"We have known about that for some time," he said of the visit during a trip to the Solomon Islands.

Morrison described it as a "reciprocal visit because Australian naval vessels have visited China."

"They were returning after a counter drug trafficking operation in the Middle East."

The vessels appeared to be the Kunlun Shan, a Yuzhao class landing ship; the Luoma Lake replenishment ship and Xuchang, a modern frigate that is believed to be fitted with surface-to-air and anti-submarine missile systems.

The timing of their visit has also been questioned.

It comes on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the violent suppression of Tiananmen protests.

Then, the regime gunned down hundreds of its own citizens and jailed thousands for demanding political change and an end to state corruption.

The sailing also comes just days after it was revealed that a Chinese warship had recently confronted an Australian vessel in the South China Sea and Aussie helicopter pilots had been targeted with lasers.

"I think any reading into timing could be subject to a bit of overanalysis," said Morrison.

Since coming to power, President Xi Jinping has invested heavily in the People's Liberation Army Navy -- in a bid to project Chinese influence across the Pacific and beyond.

"Chinese naval visits to Australia have more typically been a lone frigate, not a task group with an amphibious assault ship and 700 personnel," Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at Australian National University, tweeted.

"Sydney is hardly a convenient stopover on their way home from the Gulf of Aden. What's the story here?"

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

U.S. Navy's 2nd Fleet reaches initial operational capability
Washington (UPI) May 30, 2019
The U.S. Navy's 2nd Fleet has reached initial operational capability a year after it was re-established, the branch announced late Wednesday. The 2nd fleet was brought back last May as a "leaner, agile and more expeditionary," fleet, Rear Adm. John Mustin said, to support North Atlantic and Arctic operations after being deactivated in 2011. Vice Adm. Andrew "Woody" Lewis, who leads command for the re-established fleet, declared Wednesday at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, that the fleet ... read more