By AFP and Focus | 2025-02-25

SYDNEY -- A surprise live-fire drill conducted by China's navy in the Tasman Sea has intensified tensions with Australia, which has raised concerns over recent Chinese warship activities off its coast.

Three Chinese warships conducted a series of naval drills February 21-22, stationed underneath a busy flight path linking Australia and New Zealand.

Beijing only issued a last-minute warning about the exercise, disrupting commercial flights.

Australia's air safety agency said it first learned of the drills when a commercial flight picked up a broadcast from the Chinese boats on the morning of February 21.

Some 49 commercial flights were forced to divert around the live firing zone.

Australia expressed strong concerns over the lack of formal notification, with Defense Minister Richard Marles emphasizing that Australia typically provides 12 to 24 hours' notice for such exercises to allow airlines time to react.

"This was very disconcerting for the planes that were flying, but they were able to divert," Marles said, stressing that while the Chinese vessels remained in international waters, the abrupt notice created unnecessary risks.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun defended the drill as "safe, standard and professional" and in line with international law.

Wu Qiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, accused Australia of "deliberately hyping up" the issue.

He confirmed that the exercise involved live ammunition but dismissed Canberra's concerns as an overreaction.

'Unusual' presence

Australia and close ally New Zealand have been monitoring the vessels since they were spotted off Australia's shores last week.

The warships include the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class guided-missile cruiser Zunyi, and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu.

The Chinese navy flotilla was first spotted in mid-February in waters off mainland Australia in what Marles described as an "unusual" presence.

The Australian government formally raised concerns with China both in Canberra and Beijing.

On February 21, Foreign Minister Penny Wong confronted her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, pressing for greater transparency over the flotilla's movements and questioning why Beijing failed to provide more advance notice of the drill.

The latest incident is part of a growing list of confrontations between Australian and Chinese military forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

A Chinese fighter jet earlier this month dropped flares in the path of an Australian air force surveillance plane patrolling the contested South China Sea.