The Navy said it would be continuing to monitor the ships in “close coordination with the Australian Defence Force” using Anzac-class frigate the HMNZS Te Kaha and maritime sustainment vessel the HMNZS Aotearoa.
Yesterday, the NZDF said the ships were 218 nautical miles east of Hobart, Tasmania. They were previously off the coast of Sydney.
Last week, the Chinese military came under scrutiny for not warning Australia or New Zealand of drills being performed in the Tasman Sea that included live firing beneath known flight paths.
RNZ reported the fleet consists of the Jiangkai-class frigate the Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser the Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel the Weishanhu.
On Tuesday, NZDF officials confirmed the PLA-N flotilla had re-entered Australia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where it was being closely tracked as it operated around 160 nautical miles east of Hobart, RNZ reported.
A military figure, not authorised to speak publicly, told the ABC there was a “working assumption” that a taskforce comprising three warships so far from the Chinese mainland could have submarine support for at least part of the deployment.
Other navies that boasted nuclear-powered submarines, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, were known to regularly use them during lengthy and complex warship missions to gather valuable intelligence on potential adversaries.
Defence Minister Collins Judith Collins said the Government didn’t know if they intended to come closer to New Zealand.
Collins said she didn’t think New Zealand had seen a live military exercise in the Tasman Sea that had affected flights.
On Friday, she vented frustration at the Chinese Government for not informing New Zealand it would be sending a “highly capable” strike force with “enormous strike power” down the east coast of Australia.
Collins said the Chinese Government and Chinese Embassy had given New Zealand no notice it would be sending the strike force into the region.
“They have not deigned to advise us on what they are doing in the middle of the Tasman Sea,” she said.
China’s Defence Ministry hit back on Sunday, saying the “relevant remarks of the Australian side are completely inconsistent with facts”, while confirming the use of live ammunition.
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
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