China's 'Dragon 600' plane will boost surveillance

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SMITH: It certainly sends a clear message about China's ongoing intentions to rapidly develop their maritime capabilities and it comes on the back of a number of interesting developments that have been happening in the region in recent times. We just have to look at confrontation between the United States and China in the South China Sea. We have had the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also set up a new bureau for the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, because I think they were probably a little bit concerned about being marginalised when it comes to border issues. We've seen the Malay and Vietnamese make a joint submission to the UN Commission on the limits of the Continental Shelf, so there certainly has been a lot happening in the maritime borders and on the periphery of China and I think this announcement as you said it's not new, but it's certainly interesting timing to reinforce the fact that they are going to be continuing to rapidly develop their maritime capabilities.

LAM: Mmm, well sending a message to the region is one thing, but the Dragon 600 when it comes into fruition, I understand in about three years from now. It's meant to be used for emergency rescue and the fighting of forest fires. But there are strategic applications as well, do you think?

SMITH: Well, absolutely. It's also a replacement for the Shui Yung 5, the Shui Yung 5 was a 30 year old aircraft that was delivered, only five of them were actually built. Four of them were delivered to the PLA navy in the North Sea fleet, but it was a poorly performing aircraft. It was underpowered. The fifth aircraft in that fleet was actually sent off to do other civilian tasks, like emergency rescue, firefighting according to the reporting. But you just have to look at some of the diagrams that you see on the web about the Jiao Long 600 is that it will clearly have some surveillance capabilities and you just have to look at other developments in the South China Sea that you'd would think a platform like this would be used to support operations down south.

LAM: Mmm. So when we speak of surveillance, who exactly would they be spying on and what are they looking for?

SMITH: Well, I think they are looking for all sorts of activity and what they claim to be indisputable part of their sovereign territory. The Chinese certainly claim pretty much all of the South China Sea to be part of their sovereign territory and they would say that they have a right to be conducting surveillance in that zone. So I think it is not exactly spying, but it's more a case of keeping an eye on what's going on, basically from illegal fishing point of view, that they have recently developed a number of additional offshore patrol vessels, which will be also working in that area and you would have seen the maritime safety administration and also the fisheries bureau have increased their patrols down south as well.

LAM: And Russell, do you think China might also be making up for lost time in terms of surveillance capabilities?

SMITH: Oh, absolutely. I mean it's something they were always upset about America's conducting surveillance in their offshore territories. Just last week, I know that the Chinese and the Americans had their strategic defence dialogue and I am sure it was discussed at that particular forum in relation to what the Americans are doing on their doorstep. We have had the confrontation with the [US navy ship] Impeccable, in the South China Sea and just recently there was also an issue with a Chinese submarine getting tangled up in an American towed sonar array. So there are certainly a few things that they have to sort out and try and come up with some rules of the road, in terms of how they go about working collaboratively, I guess, but understanding what what one another would like to do in these respective areas.