ISTANBUL

Australia's decision to ban the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek has heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries, with Beijing accusing Canberra of unfairly restricting its technology in the name of national security.

In early February, Australia became one of the first countries to ban the DeepSeek AI chatbot from all government devices and systems, citing security risks. The Australian government ordered the removal of DeepSeek from all official devices, saying the app posed an unacceptable threat to government technology.

China has strongly criticized the move, calling it an “overstretching” of national security concerns.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that Beijing “attaches great importance to data privacy and security and protects it in accordance with the law,” rejecting claims that DeepSeek collects or stores data unlawfully.

"China has all along opposed moves to overstretch the concept of national security or politicize trade and tech issues," she said.

Growing tensions over naval drills

Beyond the AI ban, relations between the two nations are further strained by China's recent naval activities near Australia.

China’s ambassador to Australia, Qian Xiao, asserted last Friday that Beijing had “no reason” to apologize for its live-fire military drills near Australian waters. He emphasized that the exercises did not pose a threat to Canberra.

"I don't see there's any reason why the Chinese side should feel sorry about that or even apologize for that," Qian Xiao said, adding, "There's no reason for us to pose a threat to Australia."

Last Wednesday, Australia reported that three Chinese warships had conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea, located between Australia and New Zealand.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters last Friday that, at the time of his speech, the warships were positioned 593 kilometers (368 miles) southwest of Adelaide.

China insisted that the drill was routine and that it had provided Australia with advance notice.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles acknowledged last Thursday that the Chinese fleet’s presence adhered to international legal principles. However, he previously stated on Feb. 22 that China had failed to provide a “satisfactory” explanation for its warships reportedly firing into airspace off the Australian coast.

China dismissed Australia’s concerns on Feb. 23, calling the complaints “hyped up” and “inconsistent with the facts” regarding the naval drills in international waters between Australia and New Zealand.