China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has conducted live-fire drills over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, prompting Australian authorities to warn commercial airlines to reroute their flights. The warning was issued at 11am Sydney time on Friday after a PLAN task group, comprising several ships including a cruiser, frigate, and fleet oiler, sailed into the area.
The Australian government had previously announced its monitoring of the PLAN task group, which operates north of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, the latest operation has raised concerns among aviation authorities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that the PLAN was operating outside Australia’s EEZ and that no live-fire actually took place during the drills. The Australian Defence Force is conducting a coordinated effort with New Zealand to monitor the PLAN task group.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stated that the government had not received direct notification from China about the live-firing exercises. “To be clear, we weren’t notified by China… What China did was put out a notification that it was intending to engage in live firing,” he said.
Marles added that Australia would make representations to China regarding the exercise and why no prior notice was given, leading to potential disruptions for airlines.
The incident has raised concerns about China’s military capabilities and its intentions in the region. New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins described the PLAN ships as “really quite stunning pieces of equipment” and stated that her country is monitoring the situation with Australia.
Source: https://news.usni.org/2025/02/21/commercial-flights-rerouted-after-chinese-navy-announces-last-minute-live-fire-drills-near-australia