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Beijing accused Canberra of “deliberately hyping” Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast.
Australia and New Zealand monitored three Chinese Navy vessels in the Tasman Sea.
At least one Air NZ flight had to modify its flight-path due to the live-fire military drills.
Beijing on Sunday said Canberra had “deliberately hyped” recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident that rattled Australian policymakers.
Authorities in Australia and New Zealand have been monitoring three Chinese Navy vessels spotted in recent days in international waters of the nearby Tasman Sea.
On Friday, airlines – including Air New Zealand – were forced to modify their flight paths after warnings by the Chinese military to avoid airspace due to live-fire military drills in the Tasman Sea.
A spokesperson from Air New Zealand said they had “modified their flight paths where necessary to avoid the area”.
“We have had confirmation that personnel on Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha observed live rounds being fired from the Zunyi’s main gun, as would be expected during the course of such an exercise,” Collins said yesterday.
Canberra said on Saturday it had not yet received a satisfactory explanation from Beijing for Friday’s drill, which saw the Chinese ships broadcast a live-fire warning that caused commercial planes to change course.
China’s defence ministry hit back on Sunday, saying the “relevant remarks of the Australian side are completely inconsistent with facts”, while also confirming the use of live ammunition.
“During the period, China organised live-fire training of naval guns toward the sea on the basis of repeatedly issuing prior safety notices,” Wu Qian, a spokesman for the defence ministry, said in a statement.
Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Arunta (lower left) sailing near the People's Liberation Army-Navy Fuchi-class replenishment vessel and Weishanhu Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang in the Tasman Sea. Photo / AFP
Defence Minister Judith Collins. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Wu added that China’s actions were “in full compliance with international law and international practices, with no impact on aviation flight safety”.
“Australia, while well aware of this, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up,” said Wu, adding that Beijing was “astonished and strongly dissatisfied”.
The Chinese Navy military warships were spotted sailing south-east of Sydney. Photo / Australian Department of Defence
The altercation threatens to complicate the relationship between Beijing and Canberra, which has gradually warmed under Australia’s Labor Government.
Ties were derailed nearly a decade ago due to concerns in Australia about Chinese influence in local politics, followed by a 2018 ban on tech giant Huawei from Australia’s 5G network.
Earlier this month, Canberra rebuked Beijing for “unsafe” military conduct, accusing a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares near an Australian Air Force plane patrolling the South China Sea.
China said at the time that the Australian plane had “deliberately intruded into the airspace around China’s Xisha Islands”, using Beijing’s name for the Paracel Islands, adding that its “measures to expel the aircraft were legitimate, legal, professional and restrained”.
