Planes warned of hazard in airspace over Chinese warship live fire exercise
Commercial pilots have been warned to avoid the airspace between Australia and New Zealand, where Chinese warships have been conducting live fire exercises.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) said earlier this week it was keeping close watch on three Chinese military ships which have been spotted just 150 nautical miles from Sydney after moving steadily down the east coast of Australia over recent days.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on ABC TV that Australia would be discussing the incident with the Chinese.
“We already have [discussed this] at official level in relation to the notice given and the transparency provided in relation to these exercises, particularly the live fire exercises.“
Asked why Airservices Australia was telling commercial pilots not to fly over the area, Wong described this as
“an evolving situation”.
People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang.
Defence sources said the live-firing event caused “significant disruption” due to the limited notice period and impact on commercial flights.
The ADF said in a statement on Wednesday night it was “monitoring the People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser named Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu, which continue to operate to the east of Australia.”
The Defence Department and NZ Defence Department have been contacted for comment.
Defence Minister Richard Marles earlier said the government had deployed air and sea assets to shadow the Chinese ships, describing the flotilla’s behaviour as “unusual” but not necessarily unprecedented.
