China has been using civilian ships including fishing trawlers to back up its vast territorial claims and project military power.
and others also have claims to the Spratly Islands, which sit in a productive fishing area and important shipping lane, and are thought to hold untapped reserves of natural gas and oil.
“You don’t want to treat every Chinese fishing boat as if it were an armed combatant, but, in fact, some of them may well be armed combatants,” Poling said. The ship, which completed its first autonomous sea trial in June, could also create military maps of the South China Sea floor, including important submarine lanes around Taiwan, Rahmat said.
But China operates the Hambantota Port, having been granted a 99-year lease on the facility — built with Chinese money — after Sri Lanka defaulted on loans in 2017. After high-level consultations with Beijing, Sri Lankan authorities backtracked and allowed the Yuan Wang 5 to dock from Aug. 16 to Aug. 22.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
6 Data Analytics Growth Hacks for SMBs | HackerNoonData analytics offers you amazing capabilities to grow your business. Leverage the power of these amazing data analytics hacks to reach your business goals.
Read more »
Navy prosecutors say circumstantial evidence enough to convict sailor in San Diego ship fireAfter five days of testimony in a Naval Base San Diego courtroom, prosecutors rested their case Friday
Read more »
ADA Jumps 6% as Cardano Vasil Upgrade Goes LiveThe long-anticipated update went live hours ago, promising performance and capability improvements.
Read more »
A human rights lawyer pays the price of standing up to Xi's ChinaHundreds of lawyers have been harassed, disbarred, detained or jailed in China for using the courts to wage a battle for civil rights in the country. One of them is Ding Jiaxi, who faced alleged torture and years of separation from his family. More here:
Read more »