Australia, New Zealand Monitor Chinese Naval Vessels off Australian Coast

Australian and New Zealand defense officials are closely monitoring a group of Chinese naval vessels observed in international waters off the eastern coast of Australia, Al Jazeera reports.

The presence of the three vessels – a frigate, a cruiser, and a supply tanker – has been described as “unusual” by defense officials. The ships were first spotted last week and have since been charting a course down the Australian eastern coast. Reports indicate they were approximately 150 nautical miles east of Sydney.

New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed that New Zealand’s defense forces are also monitoring the Chinese ships’ movements.

This development follows recent diplomatic exchanges between Australia and China regarding an incident involving a Chinese fighter jet and an Australian military plane. Australia criticized China for “unsafe” military conduct, alleging that a Chinese jet dropped flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea. China responded by accusing the Australian plane of “violating Chinese sovereignty and endangering Chinese national security.”

The recent incident is part of a series of tense encounters between China and Australia in the Asia Pacific region.

In 2024, a Chinese jet was accused of intercepting an Australian Seahawk helicopter in international airspace. In 2023, a Chinese destroyer was accused of using sonar pulses near submerged Australian navy divers in waters off Japan.