Australia on Tuesday welcomed the arrival of an advanced United States nuclear-powered submarine as a Chinese three-ship flotilla sailed into the waters off its southern coastline.
The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
Under a trilateral security agreement known as AUKUS, the U.S. and the United Kingdom are assisting Australia in acquiring a fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines, supported by two planned America’s submarine visits to Australia this year.
While facing criticism from China, the U.S. has implied that the submarine project could deter the Chinese military, which is expanding its reach and presence with the largest navy in the world by hull count—over 370 vessels, from attacking Taiwan, a self-ruled island.
What To Know
The arrival of USS Minnesota, a U.S. Navy submarine homeported at the strategic island of Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean, at HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia, marked the first American fast-attack submarine visit to the Australian naval base in 2025.
During the Minnesota‘s visit, the U.S. Navy will share and compare procedures, such as weapons handling, with its Australian counterparts. The 7,800-ton, 377-foot-long Virginia-class submarine can carry 25 torpedoes and 12 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.
Australia is planned to receive at least three Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s under AUKUS. It will also acquire over 200 Tomahawk missiles from the U.S. for its Hobart-class destroyers, as well as the Virginia-class submarines once they are delivered.
The port visit will help the allies prepare for the start of the “Submarine Rotational Force-West” from as early as 2027, which up to four American Virginia-class submarines will have a rotational deployment at HMAS Stirling, the Australian Submarine Agency added.
Meanwhile, the Australian Defense Force said the Chinese naval task group, comprised of destroyer CNS Zunyi, frigate CNS Hengyang, and replenishment ship CNS Weishanhu, was operating 296 nautical miles west of Hobart on the island of Tasmania as of Thursday.
The Chinese flotilla has entered the Great Australian Bight off the Australian southern coastline. It previously operated north, northeast, east, and southeast of Australia, which included staging live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea, according to Newsweek‘s map.
The Chinese ships are now outside Australia’s territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles from its shores, but right on the edge of its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Newsweek‘s map shows.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Navy Commander Jeffrey Cornielle, commanding officer of USS Minnesota, said in a press release on Tuesday: “Our visit, today, is another step that continues progress towards establishing the Royal Australian Navy’s sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine force.”
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, chief of the Royal Australian Navy, said in a press release on Wednesday: “The Australian and U.S. Navies operate on shared behaviors, shared values, and a shared commitment to assuring the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific region. This port visit [by USS Minnesota] follows the recent submarine tendered maintenance period at HMAS Stirling, which was the first time Australians directly participated in the maintenance of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in Australia.”
Alex Luck, Australia-based naval analyst, told Newsweek via email on Thursday: “In purely operational terms I think the merits or lessons from this particular deployment [Chinese naval presence near Australia] remain very limited. There is no real distinction, as far as we can tell from observations, to other excursions that [People’s Liberation Army Navy] has conducted elsewhere. This case may be different, if reports are true that the flotilla is escorted by a nuclear-powered submarine, but this remains unconfirmed.”
What Happens Next
It is likely that the Chinese naval task group will circumnavigate Australia. According to the New Zealand Defense Force, which is assisting its Australian counterparts in tracking the Chinese navy with ships and aircraft, the Chinese ships are now heading westward.
Read the full article here
