Explainer: The China live firing exercises between NZ and Aus
Monday, 24 February 2025
Chinese warships have been conducting live firing exercises in the waters between Australia and New Zealand. Since it is all within international law, why is it a big deal?
What happened?
Last Thursday, Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed a surveillance plane and naval vessel were sent into the Tasman Sea to monitor a task force of Chinese military ships.
“You’re talking about one of the most advanced ships in the world,” she said.
She confirmed the vessels were being monitored by “air and sea” by both New Zealand and Australia.
The warships included the frigate Hengyang, the cruiser Zunyi and supply vessel Weishanhu. The warships in the Tasman Sea region were believed to be about 350 nautical miles northeast of the Bass Strait.
On Friday and Saturday, the Chinese warships conducted live firing exercises.
HMNZS Te Kaha saw live rounds being fired on Saturday from the main gun of the cruiser Zunyi, the second live firing exercise undertaken by the Chinese Navy in the Tasman Sea.
The exercises were in international waters and notice was given - so it was consistent with international law.
However, commercial flights were forced to divert course “due to the lack of advanced notification of the firing”, which was issued via radio channels and not the “standard practice of providing a Notice to Airmen”, a spokesperson from the New Zealand Defence Force said. Usually that notice is between 24-48 hours.
Who said what?
While the Australian and New Zealand governments were quick to downplay the risk by both countries’ largest trading partner - PM Anthony Albanese and PM Christopher Luxon saying the live fire drills were consistent with international law - Luxon was quick to add that more notice would have been good and “there might be a better place to do live fire drills… [than] a busy international airspace”.
“It is different from what we have observed before, there is no doubt about it,” he said.
Stuff over the weekend asked Chinese ambassador Dr Wang Xiaolong about the warships at the Wellington Lantern Festival.
“I think you’ve asked the wrong question today,” he said.
“Why is New Zealand warships near the coast of China?” he further responded.
On this, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington David Capie said “his point would be to say, well, Australia and New Zealand take part in exercises, for example, waters that are claimed by China in the South China Sea, or more recently, sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
“And so he's trying to draw a comparison between the two, to some extent.”
Why is it a big deal?
Capie said while, “even if this is all of this is consistent with international law, New Zealanders for a long time have felt that these kind of activities were something that happened far away, something happened in the South China Sea or around Taiwan.
“And when you hear about aircraft diverting because of a live fire exercise, even if it's legal, it does seem confronting for New Zealand.
“PLA [People’s Liberation Army] ships have been in and around Australia and New Zealand before, so this isn't entirely new. This particular configuration of ships - a tanker, a cruiser and a frigate, I don't think we've seen anything quite like that. And we haven't seen anything that far south.”
What happens now?
An NZDF spokesperson said: “New Zealand continues to co-ordinate closely with Australia.”
In addition, the Australian and New Zealand defence force ships and planes - HMNZS Te Kaha and P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flights - “are maintaining a watch over the Task Group”.
“The tanker HMNZS Aotearoa is operating in the vicinity of Bass Strait to provide replenishment support to Australian and New Zealand naval vessels as required,” the spokesperson said.
On New Zealand’s defence capability, Collins told 1News, “we need to do more, and we certainly need to spend a lot more to get ourselves back out of the ICU and into the ward”.