Tony, The 25th Task Group of the People’s Liberation Army – Navy was returning from a counter-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden,

The official statement by Chief of Navy included :

“The Chinese Navy and the Royal Australian Navy conduct exercises in an effort to enhance mutual understanding, facilitate transparency and build trust,”

“Activities such as this provide both countries with an opportunity to operate in close proximity and increase their knowledge of each other’s operating procedures.”

This visit by the 25th Task Group follows a successful visit by HMAS Ballarat to Zhanjiang, China in April 2017.

Clyde, interesting to see ships of the Chinese south sea fleet in Sydney. Goodwill visit I would think.