Chinese Warships Circle Australia: A Threat to Passenger Safety?
The Australian government has come under fire for its handling of Chinese warships that have been circling the country.
The Defence Department's failure to provide airlines with the coordinates of the warships has been heavily criticized, with many arguing that it puts passenger safety at risk.
The Incident: A Frantic Scramble
On February 21, a live-fire exercise by the Chinese ships in international waters off Australia's east coast sparked a frantic scramble, with 49 flights between Australia and New Zealand being re-routed, including some while in mid-air.
The airlines and Airservices Australia had requested the coordinates of the warships to prevent a repeat of the incident, but the Defence Department initially refused to provide them.
Government Response: Too Little, Too Late?
The Defence Minister's office eventually intervened, directing the department to provide the coordinates to the airlines when the ships were sailing under commercial flight paths.
However, the opposition has accused the government of being slow to respond to the incident, with Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie saying that the government's response was "nothing short of shambolic".
Expert Opinion: A Safety Critical Issue
Former defence official Michael Shoebridge has weighed in on the issue, saying that the airlines' struggle to get the coordinates had risked passenger safety. "This is a safety critical issue for airlines and all the passengers in their care.
Anyone flying in a plane going anywhere near those warships would want Defence to pass on that information as quickly as possible," he said.
University Expert: Reaction "Monstrously Overblown"
However, University of NSW maritime strategy lecturer Richard Dunley has suggested that the reaction to the Chinese flotilla's voyage and live-fire exercise has been "monstrously overblown".
He argues that navies regularly carry out live-fire drills on the high seas and that Defence may have been reluctant to hand over the coordinates to the airlines because it wanted to stick to its normal procedures.
Political Fallout: Albanese Under Fire
The incident has sparked a political fallout, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese facing criticism for his handling of the situation.
The opposition has accused him of being slow to respond and of not providing clear information about the incident.
Albanese has defended the government's response, saying that the Chinese actions were within international law, but that the government had made it clear that it expected more notice to be given.
What's Next?
The Chinese warships are currently sailing westwards, where a nuclear-powered US submarine has docked in Perth.
The incident has highlighted gaps in Defence's ability to monitor maritime approaches to Australia and has revived tensions between Canberra and Beijing. The government has promised to review its response to the incident and to take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
