*SYDNEY: Australians enjoying a sunny winter morning were surprised by thesight of three Chinese warships steaming into to Sydney Harbour Monday,forcing the prime minister to reassure jittery residents.*
The appearance of a Chinese flagged task group and around 700 sailors cameas a surprise for residents but not the government.
“It may have been a surprise to others, but it certainly wasn’t a surpriseto the government,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison, trying to dampenconcerns.
“We have known about that for some time,” he said of the visit during atrip to the Solomon Islands.
Morrison described it as a “reciprocal visit because Australian navalvessels have visited China.”
Read Top Stories
“They were returning after a counter drug trafficking operation in theMiddle East.”
The vessels appeared to be the Kunlun Shan, a Yuzhao class landing ship;the Luoma Lake replenishment ship and Xuchang, a modern frigate that isbelieved to be fitted with surface-to-air and anti-submarine missilesystems.
