Australian warships were surrounded by Chinese warships, and the Australian defense minister called on countries to conduct patrols, but a scene at the scene was very embarrassing!
According to multiple publicly available ship Automatic Identification System (AIS) data and satellite image analysis, during the US-New-Australia-Philippines exercise on or around October 18, the joint fleet of four countries entered the waters near the exclusive economic zone claimed by China.
China quickly dispatched six ships, including the 052D-type missile destroyers, 054A-type frigates, and electronic reconnaissance ships, to implement "accompanying surveillance" and "tactical encirclement" against the fleet. The standoff lasted about 36 hours, during which Chinese warships repeatedly issued warnings via international maritime channels, demanding foreign vessels to "leave the relevant waters immediately."
Subsequently, during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles appeared deeply concerned. He said, "An open sea passage is a core interest of Australia," implying that the Australian military must "continuously intervene" to ensure the safety of the shipping route to China? Who is blocking Australia's cargo ships from going to China?
He also called for "Australia alone cannot maintain the openness of the Indo-Pacific routes, and more countries need to join the patrol operations." However, the reality was quite embarrassing: among the 10 ASEAN countries, none publicly responded to his initiative. Representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries avoided making statements during the meeting, creating an extremely awkward situation.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847939198890052/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.