Flying planes between Australia and New Zealand have been diverted while China is carrying out a closely balloting military exercise in neighboring waters that can involve living fire.
The rare presence of three Chinese naval ships in the Tasman Sea has put the two antipodean countries on alert in recent days, Australia calling it “unusual”.
The Australian airline Qantas told the BBC that it had “temporarily adjusted” the routes of its planes and other carriers would have done the same.
China has said that the exercise, which takes place in international waters, is in accordance with international law.
The ships would now be 340 naval miles east of the South Australian South Wales coast, although they got closer to 150 naval miles from Sydney at a given time.
Australia and New Zealand watched the Chinese fleet closely – a frigate, a cruiser and an oil tanker – since last week, and sent their own ships to observe them.
Earlier this week, the Minister of New Zealand Defense, Judith Collins, said that China had not informed them that they would send warships in their region and “had not been worthy to advise us on What they do in the Tasman Sea, “according to the New Zealand Herald.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense in Australia, Richard Marles, said that the presence of ships was “not unprecedented, but it is an unusual event”.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday that they were doing naval training and exercises in “distant waters”.
“The exercises were carried out safely, standard and professional at any time, in accordance with relevant international laws and practices,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Chinese fleet had alert on Friday that they are starting to carry out exercises that could involve fire.
“It is an activity that occurred in waters in accordance with international law … There was no imminent risk of danger for Australian assets or New Zealand assets,” he said .
But Marles said that the Chinese had not directly informed Australian officials when they extinguished the alert.
“What China has done was to present a notification according to which it intended to engage in live fire, and on this subject, a program which was recovered by airlines, literally commercial aircraft which Flocked through the Tasman, “he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation, adding that such opinions would generally be given 12 to 24 hours in advance.
On Friday, an Emirates plane was reportedly informed of the exercise of the Chinese authorities, when she was still in the air while she was flying from Sydney to Christchurch. The BBC is looking for confirmation.
In a statement to the BBC, Qantas confirmed that it had changed the routes of its flying aircraft through the Tasman Sea and said that it continuously monitored airspace.
“We continue to work with the Australian government and the larger industry to monitor the situation,” he added.
Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand would have done the same.
The exercise comes only a few days after Australia and China organized a defense dialogue in Beijing where they had discussed military transparency and communication, among others.
The two countries have experienced several tense maritime meetings.
Earlier this month, Canberra said that a Chinese fighter has released lighting rockets in front of an Australian military plane while flying over the Southern China Sea. Beijing said the plane had “intentionally intrusion” in its airspace.
In May of last year, Australia accused a Chinese fighter plane of dropping light rockets near an Australian navy helicopter which was part of a mission of the United Nations Security Council on the sea Yellow.
And in November 2023, Canberra accused Beijing Navy of using Sonar pulses in international waters off Japan, causing Australian divers with injuries.
