Three Chinese warships have been spotted in international waters off the coast of Australia’s largest city, Sydney, in a rare show of military might that will likely test diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing.

I was very clear in that.” Australian military officials have reportedly raised concerns with their Chinese counterparts about a midair incident over the South China Sea, as senior officials met in Beijing.

New Zealand raised fresh concerns Monday over nearby live-fire drills conducted by Chinese warships armed with “extremely capable” weapons, an unprecedented show of firepower last week that analysts say are part of Beijing’s ongoing plan to build a blue-water navy with global reach.

The insouciant voyage by the Chinese around our waters must surely be the start of things to come, as Beijing flexes its muscles to remind friends and foes of the strength and length of its reach. Want to unlock unlimited news?

The Australian government is demanding answers from Beijing after commercial flights had to divert over the Tasman Sea after they received last-minute alert of Chinese warship exercises.

China has agreed to consider concerns that its military did not give enough notice before staging live-fire exercises in the waters between New Zealand and Australia last week, the foreign minister of New Zealand said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Beijing responds indignantly to the uproar in Australia as well as New Zealand following a week of military exercises staged by three Chinese warships

Australia learned about Chinese live-fire naval drills off the country’s coast that forced dozens of flights to be diverted via an alert from a commercial pilot, authorities said on Monday. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s unprecedented show of firepower in waters between Australia and New Zealand has raised alarm in both countries in recent days as a clearer picture emerges of how much warning Beijing gave about the exercises.

Commercial pilots were forced to divert from their routes when the Chinese navy gave minimal warning of a live fire exercise in the waters between Australia and New Zealand. The Albanese government wants an explanation from Beijing.

In his first comments since this month's arrival of a People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) taskforce, Ambassador Xiao Qian declared there was no reason for China to "pose a threat to Australia".

China's recent live-fire naval drills in the Tasman Sea off southeastern Australia highlighted continued tensions between the major Indo-Pacific powers, particularly in the Sea and the Taiwan Strait.