The New Zealand navy’s largest ship, the HMNZS Aotearoa, an oiler, transited the Taiwan Strait earlier this month, New Zealand Minister for Defense Judith Collins said.
A source with knowledge of the situation said that the ship was tracked and followed by Chinese forces as it sailed through the strait.
Collins did not comment on any Chinese activity, but said the transit was conducted in accordance with international law.
Photo: screengrab from x.com/NZNavy
“This includes exercising the right to freedom of navigation, as guaranteed under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea,” she said in an e-mail.
The ship sailed from the South China Sea to the North Asian region via the Taiwan Strait on Nov. 5, she said.
The last publicized strait transit by the Royal New Zealand Navy, accompanied by an Australian naval vessel, took place in September last year.
Photo: Reuters
That was the first time a New Zealand naval vessel had passed through the strait since 2017.
The source said that during the sailing, Chinese ships and aircraft monitored the Aotearoa, with Chinese jets carrying out simulated attacks.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense in a statement said that its armed forces “maintain comprehensive awareness of all military activities across the region and respond appropriately, ensuring national defense security.”
It did not elaborate.
The transit coincided with Taiwan reporting that China had, on Nov. 6, carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” around the nation involving J-16 fighters, with the activity concentrated in the Strait and to Taiwan’s southwest.
The South Korea-built Aotearoa is not armed with heavy weapons, but is equipped to carry a helicopter.
It is used for under way replenishment of fuel and other goods.
The New Zealand Defence Force last month said that the ship was planning to take part in UN sanctions enforcement missions related to North Korea around Japan.
New Zealand is one of only two major countries, along with Singapore, to have a free-trade agreement with Taiwan.
US warships sail through the Strait every few months, and some US allies such as Canada and Britain have also made transits.
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