The Chinese Navy conducted live-fire exercises in international waters near Pacific countries on Saturday, prompting responses from the governments of New Zealand and Australia. The New Zealand Defense Ministry reported that a Chinese navy task force had notified them of the second live-fire exercise on Saturday afternoon. The exercises involved the firing of live ammunition by Chinese naval vessels in the Tasman Sea in the South Pacific, located between Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed uncertainty about the intentions and course of the Chinese navy ships in international waters. He stated that they are closely monitoring the fleet’s movements and tracking them, emphasizing that China’s actions did not violate international law.
The exercises in the Tasman Sea disrupted flight routes, with airlines like Qantas, Emirates, and Air New Zealand having to make last-minute adjustments due to the Chinese naval activities. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles criticized the lack of advance notice provided by China, calling it unsettling for commercial airlines. He highlighted that typically, such notifications are issued 12 to 24 hours in advance, which was not the case in this instance.
Australia’s Defense Forces assured that there was no immediate danger to Australian or New Zealand assets during the exercises. Meanwhile, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated that discussions about “safe and professional military conduct” would be held with China’s foreign minister at the G20 summit in South Africa.
Earlier, a Chinese naval task force comprising a frigate, cruiser, and replenishment ship had entered Australian waters and navigated along the east coast under surveillance by the Australian and New Zealand navies and air forces. Last month, Australia accused a Chinese fighter jet of engaging in “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuvers against an Australian maritime patrol aircraft in the South China Sea. China, in turn, claimed that the Australian plane had intentionally intruded into its airspace.
China asserts sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, overlapping with territorial claims of several Southeast Asian countries. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in 2016 that China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea lacked legal basis under international law, a ruling that China has rejected.
(Reference: Reuters)