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Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No reason for China to apologise to Australia for live-fire drills, ambassador says
China doesn't even need to 'think' about apologising over the way it notified Australia about live-fire naval drills off the Australian coast, the country's ambassador says. Xiao Qian told the ABC the drills last Friday and Saturday posed 'no threat' to Australia and were 'a normal kind of practice for many navies in the world'. He said the notification of the drills had followed normal international practice, despite Australian authorities first becoming aware of them after they began, from a passing Virgin pilot. 'There should be no over-reading into this,' the ambassador said, insisting Australia and China were 'comprehensive strategic partners'. A readout of the interview, published on the Chinese embassy website, said: 'The term 'partner' indicates that the two countries are friends, not foes or rivals. China has always regarded Australia as an important partner, and there is no need for Australia to feel concerned about the actions of the Chinese fleet.' Australian defence officials told Senate estimates this week the first that Australia learned of the live-fire exercises, which took place 340 nautical miles off the NSW south coast, was when they were notified via a civilian pilot flying a Virgin commercial passenger jet near to the Chinese naval vessels. The pilot heard a warning broadcast by the ships themselves that they were undertaking live-fire. That warning was relayed back to Australia, coming some time before a similar notification from a New Zealand navy vessel that was shadowing the flotilla. Related: A murky picture has emerged over China's live-fire drills. Who knew what when? The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said, given the potential danger and the disruption to commercial aviation – nearly 50 flights were diverted – the notification given by the Chinese navy was insufficient. Wong said she had told her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the conduct of the drills 'did not meet our expectations and was of deep concern'. But Xiao rejected this. 'Different countries have a different practice and, based on the nature of the drill, size of the drill and the scope of the drill, my view is that the Chinese naval certification advice was appropriate.' He said international law was silent about the precise timing and nature of advance warning on naval exercises. 'I don't see there's any reason why the Chinese side should feel sorry about that, or even to think about to apologise for that,' he said. Both China and Australia confirmed this week that the Chinese naval drills were conducted in international waters and in accordance with international law.A three-ship flotilla – comprising the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu – sailed from Australia's north down the east coast – reportedly sailing as close as 150nm from Sydney – before undertaking live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea on Friday and Saturday. The ships – which are possibly accompanied by an undetected nuclear submarine, Australia's defence chief has said – have since sailed farther south and west and entered the Great Australian Bight. Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, has urged calm, saying 'it's really important that we take a deep breath here'. He emphasised the Chinese ships' adherence to international law, and pointed out the frequency of Australian navy ships sailing close to China's shores – including through the contested South China Sea. 'There is actually a greater frequency of Australian naval vessels closer to China than there are Chinese vessels close to Australia,' he said. Labor minister Murray Watt said on Friday morning Australia was 'not happy that China did not give advance warning' of the live-fire drills. 'The bottom line is that China should have given us more notice.' Xiao insisted China did not 'pose a threat to Australia', saying the countries were, and would remain, 'comprehensive strategic partners'. In the interview readout posted online, the Chinese ambassador rejected any link between the naval flotilla sailing down Australia's east coast and an incident between Australian and Chinese aircraft over the South China Sea earlier this month. On 11 February, a Chinese PLA-AF J-16 fighter aircraft released flares near an Australian P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft as it was flying what Australia has said was a 'routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea'. Australia described it as 'an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre'. Xiao said the air and sea matters were 'entirely different in nature', and blamed Australia for the air incident. 'The Australian military aircraft intruded into China's airspace, which is a serious violation of international law and undermines China's national security. However, the Chinese naval exercise took place in high seas far from Australia's coastline and aligns with international law.'
The Guardian
28-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
No reason for China to apologise to Australia for live-fire drills, ambassador says
China doesn't even need to 'think' about apologising over the way it notified Australia about live-fire naval drills off the Australian coast, the country's ambassador says. Xiao Qian told the ABC the drills last Friday and Saturday posed 'no threat' to Australia and were 'a normal kind of practice for many navies in the world'. He said the notification of the drills had followed normal international practice, despite Australian authorities first becoming aware of them after they began, from a passing Virgin pilot. 'There should be no over-reading into this,' the ambassador said, insisting Australia and China were 'comprehensive strategic partners'. A readout of the interview, published on the Chinese embassy website, said: 'The term 'partner' indicates that the two countries are friends, not foes or rivals. China has always regarded Australia as an important partner, and there is no need for Australia to feel concerned about the actions of the Chinese fleet.' Australian defence officials told Senate estimates this week the first that Australia learned of the live-fire exercises, which took place 340 nautical miles off the NSW south coast, was when they were notified via a civilian pilot flying a Virgin commercial passenger jet near to the Chinese naval vessels. The pilot heard a warning broadcast by the ships themselves that they were undertaking live-fire. That warning was relayed back to Australia, coming some time before a similar notification from a New Zealand navy vessel that was shadowing the flotilla. The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said, given the potential danger and the disruption to commercial aviation – nearly 50 flights were diverted – the notification given by the Chinese navy was insufficient. Wong said she had told her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the conduct of the drills 'did not meet our expectations and was of deep concern'. But Xiao rejected this. 'Different countries have a different practice and, based on the nature of the drill, size of the drill and the scope of the drill, my view is that the Chinese naval certification advice was appropriate.' He said international law was silent about the precise timing and nature of advance warning on naval exercises. 'I don't see there's any reason why the Chinese side should feel sorry about that, or even to think about to apologise for that,' he said. Both China and Australia confirmed this week that the Chinese naval drills were conducted in international waters and in accordance with international law. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A three-ship flotilla – comprising the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu – sailed from Australia's north down the east coast – reportedly sailing as close as 150nm from Sydney – before undertaking live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea on Friday and Saturday. The ships – which are possibly accompanied by an undetected nuclear submarine, Australia's defence chief has said – have since sailed farther south and west and entered the Great Australian Bight. Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, has urged calm, saying 'it's really important that we take a deep breath here'. He emphasised the Chinese ships' adherence to international law, and pointed out the frequency of Australian navy ships sailing close to China's shores – including through the contested South China Sea. 'There is actually a greater frequency of Australian naval vessels closer to China than there are Chinese vessels close to Australia,' he said. Labor minister Murray Watt said on Friday morning Australia was 'not happy that China did not give advance warning' of the live-fire drills. 'The bottom line is that China should have given us more notice.' Xiao insisted China did not 'pose a threat to Australia', saying the countries were, and would remain, 'comprehensive strategic partners'. In the interview readout posted online, the Chinese ambassador rejected any link between the naval flotilla sailing down Australia's east coast and an incident between Australian and Chinese aircraft over the South China Sea earlier this month. On 11 February, a Chinese PLA-AF J-16 fighter aircraft released flares near an Australian P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft as it was flying what Australia has said was a 'routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea'. Australia described it as 'an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre'. Xiao said the air and sea matters were 'entirely different in nature', and blamed Australia for the air incident. 'The Australian military aircraft intruded into China's airspace, which is a serious violation of international law and undermines China's national security. However, the Chinese naval exercise took place in high seas far from Australia's coastline and aligns with international law.'
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
A murky picture has emerged over China's live-fire drills. Who knew what when?
In the five days since Chinese navy ships held live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, an unclear picture has emerged of who knew what – and when. Australian Senate estimates heard the first knowledge Australian authorities had of the potentially dangerous live-fire activity was through a civilian pilot flying a commercial flight over the area. The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said the New Zealand navy notified Australia 'at about the same time' as the pilot notified Airservices Australia. A spokesperson for Australia's defence minister has said the government has raised concern over a 'lack of notice' about the live-fire drills with Beijing. But China says this is untrue and that the training exercises were 'conducted with repeated safety notices that had been issued in advance'. The defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said China's actions were 'entirely in accordance with international law' and established practices and would not impact aviation safety. He said the live-fire drills took place on the high seas far from Australia's coastline. Here is what we know about how the drills were communicated so far: 9.30am: A flotilla of three Chinese warships – the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu – begins a series of live-fire drills. According to Australia's defence department, the ships are stationed 346 nautical miles (640km) off Eden. 9.58am: Airservices Australia receives notification of the live-fire drill from a Virgin pilot who heard a broadcast from a foreign warship that they are conducting live firing 300 nautical miles off Australia's coast. This is the first Airservices Australia has learned of the Chinese naval live-fire exercise, according to its chief executive, Rob Sharp. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Airservices Australia deputy chief executive, Peter Curran, later told Senate estimates that the Chinese navy's message was broadcast in English on an international guard frequency – an emergency radio channel monitored by pilots but not by air traffic control. The aircraft was capable of picking up the radio signal within 250 nautical miles of the vessel. 10am: Air traffic controllers issue a hazard alert within two minutes of being alerted to the drill by the Virgin pilot. They establish an 18km exclusion zone around the flotilla, extending to a height of 45,000 feet. 10.08am: Airservices Australia notifies the Australian defence force's Joint Operations Command Headquarters about the drill, 10 minutes after the initial contact from the Virgin pilot. 'At that stage, we didn't know whether it was a potential hoax or real,' Curran told senators. 10.18am: A separate commercial flight, operated by Emirates, is in radio contact with the Chinese warships. The Emirates flight is informed that the live-firing exercise had commenced at 9.30am and would conclude at 2pm. 'We presume … that as the aircraft got closer to the vessel, it picked up the transmissions. Those transmissions may have been being made for some time,' Curran said. 11.01am: The New Zealand navy, which had been shadowing the Chinese flotilla, informs Australia of the life-fire exercise. 'The advice through the New Zealand vessel on station through its national reporting: we received that at 11.01am. That is approximately 50 minutes, or somewhat less than an hour, since that advice came to us from Airservices,' the chief of the defence force, Adm David Johnston, later told Senate estimates. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 11.28am: The Airservices chief executive calls the CEO of Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to inform it about the drill. From 11.20am to 11.30am: CASA calls the deputy secretary of Australia's transport department. Noon: An industry telephone conference is held, including Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar and possibly other airlines. Emails are later sent to international airlines notifying them of the Chinese exercise. 2pm: Chinese military live-firing exercises were due to end, according to earlier radio transmissions. Ultimately, 49 aircraft diverted their flight paths on Friday. Some were re-routed while they were in the air, while others were given different flight paths to avoid the Chinese flotilla's location at sea. 9.30am-2pm: Chinese navy live-firing exercises continue in international waters in the Tasman Sea. Flights continue to be diverted until Monday. Senate estimates heard ships had since moved further south, away from trans-Tasman flight paths.
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australian defence ‘can't be definitive' whether Chinese nuclear submarine is part of live-fire flotilla
Chinese warships south of Hobart appear likely to sail through the Great Australian Bight, and could be accompanied by an undetected nuclear submarine, the chief of the Australian defence force has said. Admiral David Johnston appeared before Senate estimates on Wednesday morning, saying the ADF had been surveilling the three People's Liberation Army-Navy vessels since they split from a larger 'taskgroup' and sailed into Australian waters from southeast Asia last week. But the defence force did not know the ships were undertaking a live-fire drill in the Tasman Sea on Friday until 30 minutes after it had begun. Defence were first notified by a civilian aircraft that was warned by the Chinese vessels when it flew within radio range. It took an hour for the New Zealand Navy, which was monitoring the Chinese vessels at the time, to notify the ADF. The Chinese flotilla – the frigate Hengyang, the cruiser Zunyi, and a replenishment vessel Weishanhu – is currently 250km south of Hobart, inside Australia's exclusive economic zone, sailing southwest. 'The fact that they are currently south of Hobart and proceeding southwest suggests that it is more likely now that they may proceed through the Australian Bight.' Asked to comment on reporting the ships were likely accompanied by a nuclear submarine, Johnston said he could not be categoric. 'I don't know whether there is a submarine with them. It is possible: task groups occasionally do deploy with submarines, but not always. I can't be definitive on whether that's the case.' Johnston said the Chinese flotilla had undertaken two live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea on Friday and on Saturday. He was critical that, while the drills were conducted in international waters, and in accordance with international law, there was insufficient notice before the live-fire drills started. But estimates confirmed that there was, in fact, no notice given, and that the Australian defence force only learned of the live fire drill half an hour after it had started, and via a pilot flying a commercial flight near to the Chinese ships. Johnston confirmed defence was notified of the live-fire drill through AirServices Australia, which had been notified by a commercial pilot who had flown into close proximity to the vessels while the live-firing window was open. At 9:58am on Friday morning, a Virgin commercial pilot was contacted by radio by the Chinese vessels and warned – in English – there was a live-fire drill underway. The Virgin flight had flown within about 250 nautical miles – potentially within line of sight of the Chinese vessels – when it was warned to stay clear. AirServices Australia issued a hazard alert within two minutes, establishing an 18km exclusion zone around the flotilla, extending to a height of 45,000 feet, at 10am. The aviation safety agency then notified the ADF's Joint Operations Command Headquarters, 10 minutes after the initial contact from the Virgin pilot. Twenty-minutes after the initial contact, at 10.18am, a separate commercial flight operated by Emirates was in radio contact with the Chinese warships, which informed pilots that the live firing exercise had commenced at 9.30am and would conclude at 2pm. It was 11:01am – another hour – before the New Zealand navy, which had been shadowing the Chinese flotilla, informed Australia of the live-fire exercise through military channels, estimates heard. Johnston said the lack of notice was potentially dangerous. 'The absence of any advance notice to Australian authorities was a concern, notably, that the limited notice provided by the PLA could have unnecessarily increased the risk to aircraft and vessels in the area,' he told estimates. Outside of estimates, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, insisted the civilian and military notifications on the live-fire drill were contemporaneous. 'At around the same time, there were two area of notification: one was from the New Zealand vessels that were tailing … the [Chinese] vessels in the area. So that occurred and at the same time through the channels that occur when these things occur, Air Services got notified as well.' Albanese said he had been in contact by phone with the New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, as the two navies cooperatively shadowed the Chinese vessels. The shadow minister for defence, Andrew Hastie, told an ABC radio interview China was undertaking 'the biggest peacetime military buildup since 1945', and working to send a strong message that it is a global power. Hastie said he believed China was 'testing US allies as Donald Trump resets relationships in Europe'. 'We're seeing a flotilla of three warships conduct live fire exercises off our coast. So we've gone from wolf warrior diplomacy to gunboat diplomacy.' A spokesperson for defence minister Richard Marles said Australia had lodged formal complaints, both in Canberra and in Beijing, over the ships' actions. 'The Australian government has raised its concern with the lack of notice on the live- fire activity from the Chinese government, including through appropriate channels in Canberra and Beijing.'
South China Morning Post
25-02-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's PLA offers details on live-fire Pacific drills led by Type 055 destroyer Zunyi
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has released details on live-fire drills in the Pacific targeting both aerial and maritime threats, without disclosing the exact area of operation. Advertisement The exercise included coordination and resupply operations, underscoring combat readiness and enhanced joint operational capabilities, the PLA Navy was quoted as saying by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday. The report comes days after live-fire PLA Navy drills in the Tasman Sea put Australia and New Zealand on alert , prompting dozens of commercial flight diversions and naval monitoring by both countries. According to the CCTV report, the naval task group was led by the Type 055 stealth guided-missile destroyer Zunyi, and included the Type 054A frigate Hengyang and the Type 903 replenishment vessel Weishanhu. While the report did not provide a specific location or time for the drill, the names of the three vessels match those in reports referring to PLA Navy exercises last week that raised concerns in Canberra and Wellington and triggered a diplomatic row with Beijing. Advertisement It said the exercises spanned several days in challenging sea conditions, and involved training in command execution, weapons operation and coordinated manoeuvres.
