(AFP) – A Chinese naval cruiser fired a live round on Saturday during a task force drill in the sea between Australia and New Zealand, government officials said it issued a warning to commercial air traffic.
It was the second exercise of a two-day Chinese warship in international waters in the Tasman Sea, despite the fact that Canberra and Wellington raised concerns over the lack of prior notice.
New Zealand, an ally close to Australia, was discovered off the coast of Australia last week and is monitoring three Chinese naval vessels, frigates, cruisers and supply tankers.
Officials from the New Zealand Navy Frigate “we observed a live round where we were fired from Zuni's main guns as expected during the course of such an exercise,” the office of New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins said in a statement. Ta.
Her office said the three Chinese ships were in international waters in the Tasman Sea at the time.
“As happened yesterday, the Chinese task group advised the intention to fire live via radio channels,” he said.
“Defense is working with the NZ Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that all aircraft are notified. The safety of all people, aircraft and vessels in the area remains our top concern. ”
New Zealand said concerns about notification times and best practices will be “communicated appropriately.”
Australia said on Saturday it has not yet received a satisfactory explanation from Beijing for Friday's drill. The drill aired a live fire warning “in evacuation” that the warship forced them to force the course.
In Friday's exercise, despite temporary deployment of floating shooting targets, “weapons were not heard from China's task force,” Canberra said.
The Australian Defense Minister said that while China adheres to international law, Canberra failed to follow best practices of giving notifications between 12 and 24 hours, and that it raised this in Beijing.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also discussed directly with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Johannesburg.
Beijing explained Friday's operation was “safe, standard, and professional” and without commenting whether live ammunition was used as a training exercise in line with international law.
This was the latest in a series of tense encounters between China and Australia in increasingly contested airspace and transport lanes in the Asia-Pacific region.
Last week, Canberra rebuked Beijing for “dangerous” military action, accusing Chinese fighters of dropping flares near Australian Air Force planes patrol the South China Sea.
Chinese fighters were accused of intercepting an Australian Seahawk helicopter in international airspace in 2024, dropping flares across the flight path.
In 2023, the Chinese destroyer was accused of bombing an Australian Navy diver with sonar pulses in waters off the coast of Japan, causing minor injuries.
The Australian government says it respects the rights of all states to pass through international waters and airspace.
The US and its allies, including Australia, frequently pass through the 180-kilometer (112 miles) of Taiwan Strait, strengthening its status as an international waterway and angering China.
