New Zealand yesterday said the Chinese navy conducted a live-fire exercise in international waters near the Pacific nation, a day after it held a similar drill between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights.
“Reporting from the New Zealand Defence Force that the Chinese naval task group has advised of a second window for live firing activity, on Saturday afternoon,” a spokesperson for New Zealand Minister of Defence Judith Collins said in a statement.
Personnel on New Zealand Navy frigate Te Kaha observed live rounds fired from a Chinese vessel’s main gun, the statement said, adding that the task group had “advised via radio channels of its intent to conduct live firing.”
Photo: Australian Defence Force / AFP
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon earlier yesterday said that it was unclear where the Chinese naval vessels were headed in international waters and for what purpose.
“What we are doing is monitoring and shadowing and tracking the fleet,” he said in Christchurch, adding that China was acting in accordance with international law.
Yesterday’s live-fire drill took place in the Tasman Sea, broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.
On Friday, airlines including Qantas Airways Ltd, Emirates and Air New Zealand Ltd had to modify flight paths between Australia and New Zealand after China broadcast a message that its navy would hold live-fire exercises in international waters off Australia’s New South Wales.
Australian Minister of Defence Richard Marles yesterday said Beijing had failed to give satisfactory reasons for what he called inadequate notice of Friday’s live-fire drill.
The late notice was “disconcerting” for commercial aviation, he said.
“When we do an activity of this kind, we would typically give 12 to 24 hours notice,” Marles told broadcaster Nine Entertainment, according to a transcript.
The warning by the Chinese vessels was at “very short notice,” Marles said, without saying how many hours were given.
The Australian Defence Force said there was no imminent risk of danger to Australian or New Zealand assets.
Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) met Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on Friday on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in South Africa, saying they would discuss “safe and professional military conduct.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College