Australia: Australia on Monday announced that it is actively tracking a Chinese navy flotilla currently operating in the Philippine Sea. This move comes amid growing concerns that the flotilla could potentially move toward Australian waters, as reported by local media.

According to Philippines News Agency, Defense Minister Richard Marles emphasized that Canberra will maintain close surveillance of the Chinese naval group until officials are assured that it is not advancing toward Australian territory. Marles stated, "We monitor it closely and do it through all of the geographic areas of interest and that includes as far away as north-east Asia, which is one of the stated areas of national interest."

He further elaborated that the Australian Defense Force maintains a presence in the country's north and upholds various assets and capabilities within key areas of interest. However, Marles refrained from revealing the specific source of the monitoring information, assuring that Australia possesses comprehensive maritime domain awareness across these regions.

In response to these developments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian asserted that Chinese naval fleets "consistently respect and adhere" to international laws and conduct their maritime activities in line with international legal norms, as reported by the state-run Global Times.