CANBERRA

THE RECENT CIRCUMNAVIGATION of Australia by Chinese warships was caused by broken steering, according to a secret ASIO report.

The warships, which conducted live fire exercises, were originally thought to be threatening Australia, however it is now understood they were trying to signal their distress to passing ships and aircraft.

“All their steering mechanisms broke at the same time, and as no one would come to their assistance they were forced to go right around the continent until repairs could be effected,” the report says.

It’s thought that the Chinese may have used Australian iron ore, some of which is said to have been sabotaged to fail under certain conditions, to manufacture their ships. It could mean that the entire Chinese fleet will need to be rebuilt.

“We don’t know the specifics of the interference but Australian intelligence has been working closely with Mossad on such programs in recent decades,” says Arthur Bond, former officer in the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, who now runs a whale watching business off his country’s east coast.