China Warships Leave Sydney After Surprise Visit ‘Raises Hackles’

The Chinese warship Kunlun Shan passes the Sydney Opera House as it departs the Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney, Australia, on June 7, 2019. AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi/via Reuters

SYDNEY—Three Chinese warships sailed out of Sydney on June 7 after an unannounced visit that came amid a tussle for influence between Australia and China in the Pacific.

The show-of-force call by a frigate, supply ship and amphibious warfare vessel was planned but never announced by Canberra.