By Jennifer Parker*
As Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was about to call a national election on 28 March, a Chinese state-owned marine research vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao was quietly transiting Bass Strait. Quickly labelled a “spy ship” in local media reports and commentary, its presence transformed into a sudden political flashpoint, with speculation rife about China mapping submarine cables. Such conjecture proved unfounded, with episode instead raising broader questions about the growing paranoia in Australian commentary about China – and the line between awareness and alarm. (The Lowy Institute. The Interpreter.)
