Australia says Chinese spy ship has been hugging west coast

Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s defense minister says a Chinese warship with spying capabilities has been hugging the western coastline in what amounts to an “aggressive act.” Minister Peter Dutton said the ship was sighted Friday morning heading north about 250 nautical miles from Broome in Western Australia, and had been tracked along the coastline for the past week. He said it was without precedent for a Chinese warship to venture so far south and that authorities were monitoring the situation closely with planes and surveillance techniques. He said he wanted to be open and honest with Australians about the situation.