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RAAF monitored Chinese military exercise in waters between Christmas Island and Indonesia

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Australia scrambled an air force surveillance plane earlier this month to monitor an unannounced Chinese military exercise that took the emerging superpower's ships closer to Australian territory than ever before.

In what observers say is a significant strategic development, China carried out combat simulations at the beginning of the month between Christmas Island and Indonesia in an apparent flexing of its growing naval muscle.


"It shows how much the region is changing": Professor Hugh White. Photo: Sasha Woolley

China had not announced the exercise. When Australia became aware that the three Chinese vessels were sailing across the waters to the north, the Royal Australian Air Force sent an AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance plane from RAAF Base Edinburgh, near Adelaide, to observe.

The Chinese flotilla - two destroyers and a landing ship able to carry hundreds of marines - came closer than the People's Liberation Army Navy ships had ever come while carrying out such an exercise. It was the first time China had carried out a military simulation in Australia's maritime approaches.

The three warships came through the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, skirted along the southern side of Java - taking them close to Christmas Island - before turning north through the Lombok Strait next to Bali.

Analysts stressed China's move was legal - taking place in international waters - and not inherently hostile. But it did constitute a signal by Beijing that it meant to become a truly global naval power, which fundamentally changed Australia's strategic position. Rory Medcalf, director of the Lowy Institute's international security program, said China was sending a message it considered the Indian Ocean part of its maritime domain as well as the Pacific.

''It should focus Australian minds because for decades Australian defence policy has been based on the view that Indonesia is between us and the great powers of East Asia. That's no longer quite the case,'' he said.

The signal was directed not at Australia but to the Asia-Pacific region more broadly - including a message to the United States and India that they could not blockade the vital sea lanes through the Strait of Malacca in the event of a crisis of conflict with China.

Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, said the exercise was ''a very vivid demonstration of how far and fast those changes are happening''.

''It doesn't mean that this exercise is threatening to Australia but it does show how much the region is changing and how dangerous it is to assume - as successive Australian governments have done - that China can rise economically … without it making a fundamental strategic difference to the region.''

A spokesman for Defence Minister David Johnston said Australia had not been informed in advance but there had been no obligation for China to do so.


Read more: RAAF scrambles plane to observe Chinese naval exercise
 
Australia scrambled an air force surveillance plane earlier this month to monitor an unannounced Chinese military exercise that took the emerging superpower's ships closer to Australian territory than ever before.

In what observers say is a significant strategic development, China carried out combat simulations at the beginning of the month between Christmas Island and Indonesia in an apparent flexing of its growing naval muscle.


"It shows how much the region is changing": Professor Hugh White. Photo: Sasha Woolley

China had not announced the exercise. When Australia became aware that the three Chinese vessels were sailing across the waters to the north, the Royal Australian Air Force sent an AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance plane from RAAF Base Edinburgh, near Adelaide, to observe.

The Chinese flotilla - two destroyers and a landing ship able to carry hundreds of marines - came closer than the People's Liberation Army Navy ships had ever come while carrying out such an exercise. It was the first time China had carried out a military simulation in Australia's maritime approaches.

The three warships came through the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, skirted along the southern side of Java - taking them close to Christmas Island - before turning north through the Lombok Strait next to Bali.

Analysts stressed China's move was legal - taking place in international waters - and not inherently hostile. But it did constitute a signal by Beijing that it meant to become a truly global naval power, which fundamentally changed Australia's strategic position. Rory Medcalf, director of the Lowy Institute's international security program, said China was sending a message it considered the Indian Ocean part of its maritime domain as well as the Pacific.

''It should focus Australian minds because for decades Australian defence policy has been based on the view that Indonesia is between us and the great powers of East Asia. That's no longer quite the case,'' he said.

The signal was directed not at Australia but to the Asia-Pacific region more broadly - including a message to the United States and India that they could not blockade the vital sea lanes through the Strait of Malacca in the event of a crisis of conflict with China.

Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, said the exercise was ''a very vivid demonstration of how far and fast those changes are happening''.

''It doesn't mean that this exercise is threatening to Australia but it does show how much the region is changing and how dangerous it is to assume - as successive Australian governments have done - that China can rise economically … without it making a fundamental strategic difference to the region.''

A spokesman for Defence Minister David Johnston said Australia had not been informed in advance but there had been no obligation for China to do so.


Read more: RAAF scrambles plane to observe Chinese naval exercise

East Timor will be the next Naval base of China.....So, Australia has to get used to it. Xanana Gusmao has said that yesterday to our local media when he visited Jakarta.

A very interesting move by China.......this new naval base (East Timor) can be seen as a head to head battle with USA base in Darwin.
 
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The USA don't have a base in Darwin. 2,000 marines are just training with Australian soldiers.
 
Nah it's not training, they plan to invade Indonesia with 2,000 troops, you have caught us out! :disagree:
why only Indonesia ? any country within this region and yes i have caught you LOL
 
East Timor will be the next Naval base of China.....So, Australia has to get used to it. Xanana Gusmao has said that yesterday to our local media when he visited Jakarta.

A very interesting move by China.......this new naval base (East Timor) can be seen as a head to head battle with USA base in Darwin.

The next naval base? They don't have even one naval base outside their own territory.
 
The next naval base? They don't have even one naval base outside their own territory.

The next naval base beside the ones which are in their own territory......It is a very simple sentence, isn't it ?:D
 
The next naval base beside the ones which are in their own territory......It is a very simple sentence, isn't it ?:D
An East Timor naval base is very far down on their list of priorities, close to the bottom actually.
 
An East Timor naval base is very far down on their list of priorities, close to the bottom actually.

Xanana Gusmao (East Timor Defense Minister) said it to our press two days ago when he visited Jakarta.
 
Xanana Gusmao (East Timor Defense Minister) said it to our press two days ago when he visited Jakarta.

Yes therefore it must be true. There will definitely be a Chinese base in East Timor very soon. Yes.
 
East Timor will be the next Naval base of China.....So, Australia has to get used to it. Xanana Gusmao has said that yesterday to our local media when he visited Jakarta.

A very interesting move by China.......this new naval base (East Timor) can be seen as a head to head battle with USA base in Darwin.

50 U.S. Marines facing off against a brigade for 16 hours. Not to shabby.
 
East Timor will be the next Naval base of China.....So, Australia has to get used to it. Xanana Gusmao has said that yesterday to our local media when he visited Jakarta.

A very interesting move by China.......this new naval base (East Timor) can be seen as a head to head battle with USA base in Darwin.
east timor as Chinese naval base? any source or statement backs your claim?
 
aint they refused China last time????

Spy base | China's planned East Timor facility failed

any link of defence minister's statement???
east timor as Chinese naval base? any source or statement backs your claim?

This is from the most respected newspaper in Indonesia, but it is in Indonesian language, talking about that plan:

Timor Leste Terbuka bagi Armada China - Kompas.com

Timor Leste Terbuka bagi Armada China
Selasa, 11 Februari 2014 | 07:39 WIB
0337087Kapal-Induk-China-Liaoning780x390.jpg
AP Photo Seorang tentara China sedang memantau situasi dari atas geladak kapal induk Liaoning dalam sebuah latihan pada Nomber lalu di Laut China Selatan.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.COM - Perdana Menteri sekaligus Menteri Pertahanan Timor Leste Xanana Gusmao menyatakan pihaknya terbuka bagi kehadiran armada Angkatan Laut Tentara Pembebasan Rakyat China di wilayahnya.

”Saya ditanya hal yang sama saat berada di Australia. Kami terbuka dan sebagai negara kecil tentu menyambut baik pihak-pihak yang bersahabat,” kata Xanana di Kementerian Pertahanan, Jakarta, Senin (10/2).

Xanana sebelumnya ditanya soal kesiapan Timor Leste membuka pangkalan bagi armada China atau fasilitas logistik dan perbaikan kapal bagi armada China yang sedang membangun kekuatan lintas benua.

Xanana menjawab, Asia Pasifik adalah wilayah yang luas dan mampu menampung niat positif dari semua pihak yang berkepentingan. Namun, tidak dijelaskan di mana fasilitas bagi angkatan laut asing tersebut akan disiapkan di Timor Leste.


Menteri Pertahanan Purnomo Yusgiantoro saat ditanya mengenai izin bagi armada China melintasi perairan Indonesia menuju ke timur (Timor Leste) menjelaskan, sebagai negara kepulauan, Indonesia memiliki tiga Alur Laut Kepulauan Indonesia (ALKI) yang dapat dilintasi armada mana saja, termasuk Angkatan Laut Tentara Pembebasan Rakyat China (PLA).

Selama ini, Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat (US Navy) dan AL Australia (Royal Australian Navy) juga biasa melintas secara damai di perairan Indonesia. US Navy juga memiliki fasilitas perbekalan dan perbaikan di Singapura untuk elemen Armada Ketujuh yang beroperasi di kawasan Asia Pasifik.

Selain itu, US Navy juga memiliki fasilitas di Guam dan pangkalan Marinir di Darwin, Australia.

Seperti diberitakan sebelumnya, AL PLA sudah mengoperasikan kapal induk perdananya dan sedang membangun beberapa kapal induk lagi untuk mewujudkan armada lintas samudra (blue water navy). Pemerintah China juga diketahui membantu pembangunan infrastruktur kompleks Kementerian Pertahanan Timor Leste.

Sebaliknya, Timor Leste memiliki hubungan baik dengan negara-negara Lusofoni (pemakai bahasa Portugis), termasuk dengan Daerah Administrasi Khusus Makau yang kini sudah kembali menjadi wilayah China di sebelah barat Hongkong.

Terbuka untuk semua

Xanana mengingatkan media tentang pesan yang disampaikan Menteri Luar Negeri AS Hillary Clinton saat berkunjung ke Dili tahun 2012 yang menyatakan, Asia Pasifik terbuka untuk semua pihak dan bisa mengembangkan potensi ekonomi, pariwisata, dan lain-lain, termasuk kerja sama militer.

Ditanya tentang kerja sama intelijen dengan Indonesia mengingat Timor Leste dan Indonesia mengalami hubungan kurang baik dengan Australia, Xanana mengingatkan agar media massa tidak mencampuradukkan persoalan yang dihadapi Timor Leste dengan hubungan Indonesia dan Australia.

Dalam kunjungan ke Jakarta, dicapai sejumlah kesepakatan bidang latihan dan pendidikan bagi personel militer Timor Leste hingga rencana pembelian persenjataan dari Indonesia untuk Kementerian Pertahanan Timor Leste.

Timor Leste berbagi perbatasan darat dengan Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur dan perbatasan laut dengan Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur dan Provinsi Maluku. (Ong)

And it is the perspective of why East Timor get closer to China

China's interests in East Timor | Deakin Speaking
 

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