Paterson Warns CCP Ship Has Deep Sea Mapping Capabilities, Dutton Calls for Better Undersea Drones

‘We don’t know exactly what it’s doing,’ said Home Affairs Shadow Minister James Paterson.

A Chinese research ship proceeds to deck at a port in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Oct. 25, 2023. Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images

Home Affairs Shadow Minister James Paterson has warned the CCP “research vessel” off the southern coast of Australia is capable of deploying submersibles to map the seabed.

The discovery of another Chinese Communist Party (CCP) vessel in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, prompted the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to push for stronger autonomous underwater capabilities to surveil any threats.

The Chinese “research vessel” comes just a month after three Chinese naval warships circumnavigated the continent in February, and carried out apparent live-fire exercises.

While the new ship, Tan Suo Yi Hao, is capable of conducting legitimate Antarctic sea research, it is reportedly capable of collecting intelligence.

After carrying out a joint survey exercise with New Zealand, the vessel switched its direction to Australia and is currently sitting near the South Australian coast in the Great Australian Bight.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has downplayed the presence of Tan Suo Yi Hao within Australia’s EEZ, noting authorities were monitoring the vessel.

We Don’t Know What It’s Doing: Shadow Minister

During an interview on April 1, Paterson spoke about the ship’s capabilities and the government’s response.

“We don’t know exactly what it’s doing, but it has some pretty interesting capabilities,” he told the Sunrise program.

“It can drop a submersible vehicle down 10,000 metres to map the seabed, and also it has the potential ability to map things like our internet cables.”

At the same time, Paterson was concerned that the prime minister had not been properly detailed on the matter.

“Yesterday, he said that the Australian Defence Force is tracking this vehicle, but the government is now saying the Australian Border Force is tracking this vessel,” he said.

“Now I know it’s only two letters away in the alphabet, but there’s a world of difference between the ABF and the ADF.”

Shadow Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on March 6, 2023. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Australia’s South China Sea Presence Not the Same as CCP Warship Activities: Paterson

During his response on March 31, Albanese drew a comparison between what Tan Suo Yi Hao is doing, and the activities of Australian vessels in the South China Sea.

“We live in circumstances where–just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas–this vessel is there,” he said.

However, Paterson said he was not aware that Australian vessels were conducting any similar activities in the South China Sea.

“Are we seriously saying that Australian Defence Force assets have entered into the territorial waters of China to map the deep seabed, and if they have, we’ve never heard about it until now?” he asked.

“Certainly, the Australian Defence Force and Australian Navy do transit through the Taiwan Strait. It’s an international waterway. But we do not enter into the territorial waters of the Chinese government.

“And I’m not aware of any instance of us having a research vessel that has a capability to put a submarine down 10,000 metres to map the seabed.”

Australia Needs Better Autonomous Underwater Capabilities: Dutton

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton responded to questions of whether Australia had any defence systems that could counteract the CCP activities.

In response, Dutton said when the Coalition was in power, it had implemented autonomous underwater capability, a kind of drone program, to counter surface fleets.

“Talking in normal language, where you’ve got ships, or if you’ve got underwater capacity, with the submarines that you can send underwater drones further out, they might have explosive capability, they might have surveillance capability,” he told Sky News on March 31.

“We’re not a landlocked country, so there’s a type of drone which will be of benefit to us and others don’t have the distance or capability that that would be of benefit to us as a continent.”

Two Chinese warships are seen docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on May 4, 2023. Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

However, the opposition leader noted that after the Labor government was elected, it had paused the program.

“The guided weapons enterprise that we established when we were in government, this government essentially put it on pause,” he said.

“And yet we should be acquiring that capability because any adversary that’s looking at us should be saying: ‘You know what, today, we’re not thinking about Australia, we’re worried about Australia and the retaliation that could come.’

“And that’s what will maintain peace. We will only maintain peace ... through a position of strength, not weakness.”