Australia and close ally New Zealand have been monitoring three Chinese navy vessels -- a frigate, a cruiser and a supply tanker -- since they were spotted in international waters off the country's coast last week.
The drill appears to be over, according to Australia's Department of Defence, which said “no weapon firings were heard or seen” from the Chinese task force despite it temporarily deploying a floating firing target.
“What happened yesterday was that the notice that was provided was very short,“ he told national broadcaster ABC.
China had abided by international law but did not follow best practice of giving 12-24 hours' notice, and Canberra had raised the lack of notice with Beijing, Marles said.
New Zealand was working with Australia to monitor the task force and it, too, had no confirmation live firing actually occurred, said the country's defence minister, Judith Collins.
Tense encounters
Last week, Canberra rebuked Beijing for “unsafe” military conduct, accusing a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea.
In 2023, a Chinese destroyer was accused of bombarding submerged Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in waters off Japan, causing minor injuries.
The United States and its allies including Australia frequently cross through the 180-kilometre (112-mile) Taiwan Strait to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering China, which claims jurisdiction over the waters.
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