New Zealand’s Defence Minister has issued a warning regarding Chinese warships stationed off Australia’s east coast, stating that these vessels are equipped with “extremely capable” weaponry that could potentially reach Australian territory. The three ships, identified as Taskgroup 107, conducted two live-fire exercises in the waters between Australia and New Zealand last week, leading to the diversion of commercial flights in the area.
Judith Collins, New Zealand’s Defence Minister, reported on Monday that the ships are currently located 280 nautical miles (518 km) east of Tasmania and are under close observation by the New Zealand navy vessel Te Kaha. She noted that the presence of these vessels in the waters near New Zealand and Australia, along with the short notice provided by the Chinese government prior to the live-fire exercise on Friday, is “unusual.”
“We’ve certainly never seen a task group of this capability undertaking this sort of work; it’s certainly a change,” Collins stated during an interview with RNZ Radio. She highlighted the advanced capabilities of the weapons on board, mentioning that one ship has 112 vertical launch cells and an anti-ship ballistic missile range of 540 nautical miles.
Collins clarified that, according to the information she received, the vessels are not nuclear-powered and do not carry nuclear weapons or missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. “They’re not telling us what they’re planning,” she remarked, emphasizing that they are taking the Chinese at their word regarding normal transit under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, while also expressing the need for more advance notice for live-fire exercises.
The Chinese navy had informed the Australian Defence Department shortly before the drill on Friday. Collins contested claims made by China’s ambassador to New Zealand that appropriate advance notice was given, stating, “There was a warning to civil aviation flights, but it was a very short amount of notice, rather than what we would consider best practice, which is 12-24 hours notice, to prevent aircraft from being diverted mid-flight.”
On Friday, a New Zealand navy vessel observed the first live-fire exercise, which involved the ships changing formation and deploying a target in the water, followed by maneuvering and recovering the target. Although no live fire was witnessed, the formation changes were indicative of a live-fire drill. On Saturday, New Zealand navy personnel reported that live rounds were fired from a Chinese warship in international waters.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, stated over the weekend that senior defence officials are continuing to monitor the ships after they were first detected moving south in international waters approximately 280 km off Sydney on Thursday. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong met with her Chinese counterpart to seek clarification on the limited notice provided before the firing exercises.
