A live firing exercise by Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea went undetected by air traffic authorities for 30 minutes, with the alert coming from a Virgin pilot rather than government officials.
Military exercises conducted by three Chinese warships 640 kilometres off the New South Wales South Coast resulted in 49 aircraft being forced to change course, in a busy area of airspace between Australia and New Zealand on Friday.
Airservices Australia officials told Senate estimates hearings on Monday a Virgin pilot alerted his agency after overhearing chatter from the ships while flying nearby.
‘It was in fact a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers that a foreign warship was broadcasting, that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles east of our coast,’ chief executive Rob Sharp said
‘So that’s how we first found out about the issue.’
The exercise took place in international waters and did not breach international law, but Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles both said China had not given sufficient warning.
‘They [China] did so with very little notice and that was the issue that was very disconcerting for the airlines involved,’ Mr Marles said.
‘We [Australia] would typically give 12 to 24 hours’ notice, which enables aircraft that are going to potentially be in the vicinity to make plans to fly around.
Military exercises conducted by three Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea resulted in 49 aircraft being forced to change course between Australia and New Zealand on Friday
‘It’s the responsibility of any navy, any military, to make sure when you then do undertake any live firing you are doing so in a manner which is safe relative to any commercial traffic, be it sea or air, which is in the vicinity.’
On Saturday the Chinese ships performed a second live-firing exercise in the Tasman Sea.
And on Sunday, China accused Australia of ‘hyping up’ the live firing exercises in response to complaints.
Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Australia’s description of the events was ‘completely inconsistent with the facts’.
Ms Wu insisted that China had issued repeated safety notices before the exercises, though she did not specify how much notice was given.
‘China’s actions are in full compliance with international law and international practices and will not affect aviation flight safety,’ Ms Wu said in a statement.
‘Australia, knowing this well, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up. We are deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied with this.’
Some commentators have described the move by China as an aggressive demonstration of military power.
