Commercial flights were warned to avoid airspace over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand on Friday after Chinese warships took part in an apparent live-fire drill. It's understood at least three commercial flights diverted their course after China had given notice that three of its warships could potentially fire live weapons in a military exercise. Domestic regulator Airservices Australia pre-warned commercial pilots of a potential air space hazard, while Air New Zealand, the neighboring country's national carrier, said it had "modified flight paths as needed to avoid the area, with no impact on our operations." After the warning, Australian defense officials said they were uncertain whether any live fire of weapons took place. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that any risk had since passed. "There was no imminent risk of danger to any Australian assets or New Zealand assets," Albanese told reporters, citing information from his Defense Ministry. Australian and New Zealand military ships and P-8 Poseidon surveillance planes have been monitoring the three Chinese warships — frigate Hengyang, cruiser Zunyi and replenishment vessel Weishanhu — for days. The deployment of Chinese ships in the Tasman Sea is regarded as a demonstration of the Chinese navy's growing size and capability. However, the ships rarely venture so far south. "Pilots often have to contend with obstacles to safe navigation, whether that be from military exercises such as this or other events like rocket launches, space debris or volcanic eruptions," Steve Cornell of the Australian and International Pilots Association said. "That being said, it's a big bit of ocean and you would think that they could have parked somewhere less inconvenient whilst they flexed their muscles," he added. Albanese said the Chinese exercise was legal and took place in international waters outside Australia's exclusive economic zone. The country's foreign minister, Penny Wong, told ABC television that the presence of Chinese ships in waters off Australia was an evolving situation and that she would be "discussing this with the Chinese." "We already have at the official level, in relation to the notice given and the transparency provided in relation to these exercises, particularly the live fire exercises," Wong added. The incident follows another in the South China Sea last week when a Chinese fighter jet released flares in front of an Australian military plane. — Euronews
