Australian complaints over recent Chinese live-fire naval drills in international waters between Australia and New Zealand were “hyped up” and “inconsistent with the facts”, China’s defence ministry says.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday Beijing had failed to give satisfactory reasons for what he which he said had forced airlines to divert flights.
China’s defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Sunday China had issued repeated safety notices before the drills.
He said China’s actions complied with international law and did not affect aviation flight safety.
“Australia, fully knowing this, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up,” Qian said in a post from the Chinese defence ministry.
“We are deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied.”
Analysts believed the sailing was an attempt by Beijing to project power and send a message to Canberra about China’s capability.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked on Saturday if he would call President Xi Jinping in light of the incident but instead defended China’s right to carry out the exercise as it had not breached international law.
“It’s important to not suggest that wasn’t the case,” he said.
New Zealand said on Saturday it had also observed the Chinese navy conducting a second day of live-fire exercises and was monitoring a fleet of Chinese vessels.
The live-fire exercise follows a run-in with the Chinese military last week when a fighter jet fired flares in front of a Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft during a patrol over the South China Sea.
The Australian government lodged a complaint with Beijing over the near-miss.