WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Leaders in Australia and New Zealand say China should have given them more warning before its navy conducted an unusual series of live fire exercises in the seas between the two countries, forcing flights to divert on short notice.
The drills by three naval ships happened in international waters beneath a busy commercial flight path over the Tasman Sea on Friday and Saturday, and at least once involved live fire.
There's no suggestion China broke any laws, but analysts say the episode highlights escalating regional tensions over China's influence.
What happened?
The Tasman Sea spans 1,200 miles (2,000 km) between Australia and New Zealand, the largest Western powers in the South Pacific Ocean. Australia’s government said Thursday that three Chinese warships were sailing unusually close to its shores on an undeclared mission.
The Chinese military task group were in Australia’s exclusive economic zone, the area beyond its territorial waters where a nation has exclusive economic rights. That was “not unprecedented, but unusual,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
But on Friday, commercial flights between Australia and New Zealand hurriedly diverted after the Chinese vessels warned pilots they were flying above a live firing exercise.
Live fire from the warships hasn’t been confirmed during Friday’s drills, but firing was spotted by a New Zealand navy ship tracking the vessels on Saturday.
Why are Australia and New Zealand worried?
Political leaders from both countries emphasized that China didn’t breach international law, but said the warships should have given more notice before conducting live fire exercises.
The activities also raised eyebrows because they happened further south than usual.
The live fire activities happened on “a couple of hours’ notice” rather than the expected 12 to 24 hours, New Zealand’s Defense Minister Judith Collins told Radio New Zealand on Monday. China was not required by law to give that much advance warning, but after planes scrambled to divert, Collins said officials were “seeking assurance from the Chinese embassy” about future activities.
She said she did not know what the Chinese military planned for the vessels in the coming days. Leaders said there was no danger to either country and stopped short of criticizing China for undertaking the activities.
China is the biggest export partner for both Australia and New Zealand, and the episode follows a period of improved ties between Beijing and Canberra as a Chinese trade freeze on many Australia goods has gradually thawed.
But the latest developments could force the Australian government to rethink its celebration of success on China said Michael Shoebridge, a former Australian defense and security official and director of the think tank Strategic Analysis Australia.
“If the Australian Prime Minister admits that this stabilization of the Australia-China relationship has done nothing to stop China’s growing aggression towards our military in the wider region, it undercuts their signature foreign policy achievement," he said.
What does China say?
Chinese officials vehemently rejected the suggestion that the military didn’t warn of their activities. China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Sunday that the vessels “repeatedly issued safety notices in advance.”
Australian leaders had “made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up,” Wu said.
Why is this happening now?
Shoebridge said China's annoyance about Australia's growing military ties in Asia might be one reason for the maneuvers. Bolstered security ties with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, all three of which have territorial disputes with China, have increased Australia’s presence in the region's waters.
Beijing is seeking to isolate those countries at a time of flux in global relations and ratcheting tension between China and Taiwan, the analyst said.
But many also suggested the drills were a demonstration of the Chinese navy’s growing size and capabilities in a region where Beijing is ambitious for a larger presence.
China has keenly sought security deals with small island nations throughout the South Pacific, raising anxiety in Wellington and Canberra about the prospect of fierce territorial contest in their backyards. That's provoked backlash from Pacific leaders, who resent scrutiny of their diplomacy by Australia and New Zealand.
“Anyone who thought there wasn’t a downside to building a military relationship with China now knows that isn’t true,” said Shoebridge. “The last thing anyone in the South Pacific should want is the Chinese military bringing the tension and aggression they’ve brought to Southeast Asia and North Asia to our local neighborhood.”
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Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk contributed from Melbourne, Australia
