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| Dongdiao class auxiliary general intelligence (AGI) ship |
BEIJING — Beijing has defended its dispatch of a spy ship to international waters off Hawaii, near where Chinese vessels are taking part in a US-led naval exercise for the first time, reports said Monday.
The defense ministry said the vessel’s activities are in line with international law, reported the Global Times, which is close to the ruling Communist Party.
Reports in the US quoted the US Navy saying that a Chinese surveillance vessel had been found operating near the location of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercises, viewed by analysts as one step toward potentially repairing ties at a time of heightened US-China tensions.
Four ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy with an estimated 1,100 sailors on board — a missile destroyer, missile frigate, supply ship and hospital ship — are officially taking part in the RIMPAC exercises, which began last month.
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