Leaders in Australia and New Zealand say China should have given them more warning before its navy conducted an unusual series of live fire exercises in the seas between the two countries, forcing flights to divert on short notice.
China is the biggest export partner for both Australia and New Zealand, and the episode follows a period of improved ties between Beijing and Canberra as a Chinese trade freeze on many Australia goods has gradually thawed.
The live fire activities happened on “a couple of hours’ notice” rather than the expected 12 to 24 hours, New Zealand’s Defense Minister Judith Collins told Radio New Zealand on Monday.
But the latest developments could force the Australian government to rethink its celebration of success on China said Michael Shoebridge, a former Australian defense and security official and director of the think tank Strategic Analysis Australia.
“If the Australian Prime Minister admits that this stabilization of the Australia-China relationship has done nothing to stop China’s growing aggression towards our military in the wider region, it undercuts their signature foreign policy achievement," he said.
