Three Chinese naval vessels conducted rare live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand on Friday, prompting authorities in Canberra to warn commercial flights to avoid nearby airspace due to potential hazards.
The Chinese naval task group, consisting of a replenishment vessel, a frigate, and a Renhai-class cruiser described as "among the most formidable warships afloat" by experts, sailed down Australia’s east coast this week, a move closely monitored by Canberra and Wellington.
Around 11 a.m. local time Friday, the Chinese military warned an Emirates flight going from Canberra to Christchurch of "its intent to conduct a live-fire activity" through verbal radio. It forced the flight to divert and prompted Australian authorities to issue a notice to warn other commercial flights, the Australian Defense Ministry told VOA in an e-mail.
According to the ministry, the Chinese vessels deployed a floating target and changed formations, but no weapon firings were heard or seen. While the live-fire drills, which took place 340 nautical miles southeast of Sydney, were conducted in accordance with international law conventions, Australia and New Zealand both said the Chinese military didn’t provide any prior notice.
"Defense is not aware of a Notice to Airmen or Notice to Mariners for this activity having been submitted or requested by" the People’s Liberation Army navy, an Australian defense ministry spokesperson said, adding that "best practice" is normally issuing a notice 24 to 48 hours prior to live-fire drills, which Australia typically follows.
"The Australian government has raised its concern with the lack of notice on the live fire activity from the Chinese government, including through appropriate channels in Canberra and Beijing," adding that the Australian military will continue to monitor the Chinese vessels’ activities while they remain in the vicinity.
While Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the live-fire drills didn’t pose any "imminent risk of danger to any Australian assets or New Zealand assets," New Zealand defense minister Judith Collins described the incident as "an unusual move" that serves as "a wake-up call" for her country and its people.
"They are the most significant and sophisticated [vessels] that we have seen this far south," she told Radio New Zealand in a Friday interview, adding that New Zealand people need to know that the country "can’t do anything" just by itself.
In response to relevant inquiries during a regular news conference Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the Chinese naval vessels were "conducting far seas exercise" and emphasized the drills were conducted in a "safe and professional manner" that’s in accordance with international law.
Analysts say Beijing is demonstrating its ability to project naval power to Australia and New Zealand’s vicinity through the exercises.
"It’s not common to see Chinese naval vessels going so far out to this area and these exercises reflect Beijing’s greater will to showcase their naval and military might in places that are farther away from China," said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Other experts say Beijing wants to use these exercises to warn Australia and New Zealand from getting involved in the rising tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which China views almost entirely as its territorial water.
"China has always believed that other countries have no business up in the South China Sea, so there's also this idea that if those countries are going to be in China’s sphere of influence, then China would be in their sphere of influence," Ray Powell, director of Stanford University's Sealight project, which tracks Chinese maritime activities across the Indo-Pacific region, told VOA by phone.
Australia said a Chinese fighter jet released flares in front of an Australian military aircraft in the South China Sea last week, characterizing it as an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction."
Despite China’s rapid expansion of its naval fleet in recent years, including the launch of a Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, last December, Koh in Singapore said it could be more challenging for the Chinese military to deploy large-size naval vessels to the South Pacific due to logistical constraints.
"Not all of the ports in South Pacific countries have the necessary capabilities to hold large vessels like aircraft carrier groups, and while many regional countries have friendly economic relations with China, only a few might have some security cooperation with Beijing," he told VOA by phone.
However, Powell thinks China may conduct similar naval deployment to areas near Australia and New Zealand in the future.
"I don't know how regular it will be just because it is a very long way to travel but this certainly won’t be the last time that they do something like this because China believes it’s becoming a great power and one of the things they do is to project power," said Powell.
Given the unprecedented nature of the exercises, some Australian experts say the event will likely prompt Australia to reevaluate its naval capabilities.
"This is a reminder to Australia that as an island nation that solely depends on maritime trade, they need to invest in having a strong naval capability in the increasingly deteriorating strategic circumstances," Jennifer Parker, a defense expert at the Australian National University, told VOA by phone.
As for New Zealand, Powell said the government may "reawaken" and realize their vulnerabilities in the face of an increasingly aggressive China.
"One thing that certainly happens when China makes these very aggressive moves is it forces countries that it moves against to take a hard look at their preparation and military capabilities," he told VOA.
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