- Chinese naval vessels conducting military training operations in the Tasman Sea.
- Civilian aircraft have had to be diverted during live firing exercises.
- New Zealand's Defence Minister has warned that the missiles possess an enormous range.
- A diplomatic dispute erupts between China and Australia.
New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins has cautioned that the Chinese naval presence in the Tasman Sea is "extremely capable", with one of the warships reportedly equipped with ballistic missiles having a range of 1,000 kilometers.
The second day of military exercises in the Tasman Sea took place on Saturday after a Chinese warship was observed firing a gun.
in recent days.
Flights between Australia and New Zealand by Emirates, Virgin, and Air New Zealand altered their flight routes following initial reports of live fire on Friday.
China's defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian responded on Sunday by accusing Australia of intentionally amplifying the danger, saying they had acted in full compliance with international law.
'The US has made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately exaggerated them,' Mr. Qian said.
We are extremely disappointed and strongly dissatisfied with this.
However, New Zealand's Defence Minister stated on Monday that the claim that they acted in accordance with international practices was "wrong".
Ms. Collins stated that China should have provided up to 48 hours' notice before the naval fleet initiated firing and characterized the drills as "unusual."
"There was a very short warning to civil aviation flights - just a couple of hours' notice - which is a lot less than the recommended 12 to 24 hours, meaning aircraft had to be diverted quickly when they were already in the air," Ms Collins said to RNZ.
She added: "The weapons they possess are extremely capable. One has 112 vertical launch cells and has a reported anti-ship ballistic missile range of 540 nautical miles."
Ms Collins stated that they were closely monitoring the ships following China's failure to provide additional information after being requested by New Zealand.
We're going by the assumption that they're just conducting standard transits under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and they're not violating any laws.
'As we've mentioned, it's generally more advisable to provide a significantly longer notice period for live firing.'
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On Sunday, Health Minister Mark Butler stated that China had the right to conduct drills since the warships were in international waters.
Defence Minister Richard Marles and also both said that the Chinese warships' activities were legal under international law.
Defence opposition spokesman Andrew Hastie has heavily criticized the pair over their management of the situation.
"When will the Prime Minister and his Defence Minister stand up for the Australian national interest and demand mutual respect from their Chinese counterparts," Mr. Hastie said.
He referred to China's expanding military presence as 'gunboat diplomacy', stating that the Communist state was attempting to exert its influence in the Pacific region and challenge the United States' allies, including Australia.
Mr. Hastie noted that there had been other confrontations between Australian and Chinese forces in recent years, including instances of aggressive maneuvers by the People's Liberation Army.
'This is a feeble government that is keeping Australians in the dark and failing in its most critical responsibility – to protect our security and our nation's sovereignty,' he went on to say.
The government minister dismissed those allegations, describing the opposition's reaction as 'immature'.
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What do they propose we should do? This is immature. This is student politics. They have not stated anything that the ADF would implement that we're not already doing.
'The focus is entirely on politics, including, strangely, in relation to national security.'
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