China’s defence ministry has dismissed Australia’s criticism of recent Chinese live-fire naval drills, calling the concerns exaggerated and inconsistent with the facts.
Defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian responded on Sunday to comments from Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, who had accused Beijing of failing to provide sufficient notice for the exercises conducted in international waters between Australia and New Zealand. Marles said the short notice had forced airlines to reroute flights and questioned China’s reasoning for the drills.
In a statement posted by the Chinese defence ministry, Qian insisted that China had issued multiple safety notices in advance and that the exercises were in full compliance with international law, posing no threat to aviation safety.
“Australia, fully knowing this, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up,” Qian stated. “We are deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand reported on Saturday that it had observed the Chinese navy conducting a second day of live-fire exercises and confirmed that it was actively monitoring the fleet of Chinese vessels in the region.