Australian frigate joins US ships in S. China Sea amid rising tension

An Australian frigate has joined three US warships in the South China Sea, near an area where a Chinese vessel is suspected to be exploring for oil, officials said on Wednesday. The warships arrived this week close to where the Chinese government survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 has been operating, which, in turn, is near where a vessel operated by Malaysia’s Petronas state oil company is conducting exploratory drilling, Reuters said, citing regional security sources.

The US navy said on Tuesday the USS America amphibious assault ship and the USS Bunker Hill, a guided missile cruiser, were operating in the South China Sea. They were joined by Australia’s frigate HMAS Parramatta and a third US vessel, the destroyer USS Barry, as part of a joint exercise, according to the Australian defense department.

The Haiyang Dizhi 8 was 325km (202 miles) off the Malaysian coast, within its exclusive economic zone, data from ship-tracking website Marine Traffic showed on Wednesday. The area is near waters claimed by both Vietnam and Malaysia, as well as by China.

Beijing has denied reports of a standoff, saying the Haiyang Dizhi 8 was conducting normal activities. Last year, Vietnamese vessels spent months shadowing the Haiyang Dizhi 8. On Sunday, Hanoi protested after China said it had established two administrative districts on the Paracel and Spratly islands (for which claimant nations use different names) in the disputed waters. Beijing has called Vietnam’s claims “illegal.”