Kiwi naval ship Aotearoa resupplies the Te Kaha as they continue to monitor the Chinese ships off Tasmania. Photo: NZDF
A Chinese naval task group is moving into the Great Australian Bight west of Tasmania as a political row over the warning of live-fire drills continues.
And the row is dragging in New Zealand even as its ships and aircraft help Australia to track the group’s movements.
The Chinese Navy’s Task Group 107 comprises of a frigate (the Hengyang), a cruiser (the Zunyi) and a supply ship (the Weishanhu).
The Australian Defence Force says the ships were 548km west of Hobart as at 8.30am today (February 27).
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today defended the time taken to alert airlines to the drills so they could divert flights after it emerged that first notice was given by a pilot on a Virgin flight.
“The New Zealand task force was aware at the same time. There are two means (of notifying),” he told journalists in Sunbury.
“We’ve been monitoring the vessels in the area by sea and by air.”
He also said Australian frigates were in the area at the time as well.
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton attacked Albanese over his handling of the incident and was criticised in turn by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC Radio that a lack of adequate notice had prompted them to complain to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra andvia its own embassy in Beijing.
“What was clear on Friday (February 21) was that the broadcast that China issued was such that there were planes in the air that needed to divert mid-flight. That in our view was unacceptable,” he said.
Marles also said that it was not known if a Chinese submarine was accompanying the task group.
SENATE HEARING
Airservices Australia staff reportedly told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday they were first alerted to the live-fire drill at 9.58am on Friday, February 21, when the pilot of a Virgin flight was contacted by the Chinese navy via radio.
Media reports say the Chief of the Defence Force, David Johnston, told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday that a warning from the NZ frigate Te Kaha was received by them at about 11am that day.
The NZ Defence Force says the Chinese ships on Friday and Saturday were observed by the Te Kaha, who reported that the Zunyi had fired its main gun on Saturday, at least.
According to the NZDF, the Te Kaha had set sail from Whangarei on February 17 on a six-month deployment in the Middle East on anti-drug trafficking duties but joined Australian naval ships watching the task group two days later.
The polar tanker HMNZS Aotearoa was called in from Antarctic resupply operations to support the NZ and Australian vessels.
It first sailed for the South Pole in mid-January and arrived at Tasmania on February 19.
