Francesca Rudkin: Chinese warships in the Tasman send a clear message

Well, we may have problems getting Chinese tourists back to New Zealand, but the Chinese military seem interested in the region, conducting naval training practices about 130 to 150 nautical miles off the coast of Sydney.  So far, China has complied with international law and the UN Convention on the law on the sea. There is no indication they won’t continue to do so.   This is not an overly aggressive move, but it should give the Government pause for thought - and focus thinking on the state of our navy.  There are some oddities about this mission in the Tasman Sea - oddities that shouldn’t be ignored.   The first is the combination of ships sent our way. Speaking to media yesterday, Prime Minister Luxon said the Chinese warships in the Tasman have different capabilities from what we’ve seen before.   The other oddity is that neither Australia or New Zealand received notice from China that it would be heading our way. No one knows their intentions - where they’re going or why. Nor was there formal warning of what is thought to have been a live fire exercise, causing several commercial airlines to re-rout or change their flight paths.   It was commercial airline staff who picked up unexpected radio messages from the Chinese navy, warning them to divert from an area between New Zealand and Australia where military drills were being carried out.  Given the Tasman is basically a busy harbour bridge for planes flying between Australia and New Zealand, I’d quite like that information to be provided ahead of time - please. The Australian Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, said Australia would normally give 12- 24 hours’ notice of a live firing event.   So what’s going on? It’s quite possible China is responding to the Australian navy conducting ‘freedom of navigation’ exercises off the Chinese coast. A little tit-for-tat - and a reminder of China’s capabilities.   With no one picking up the phone to offer an explanation, perhaps China sees this as an opportunity to see what kind of political and military response this unprecedented move generates from Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand has sent the HSS Te Kaha and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft to monitor the Chinese movements - take that China!   Politically, explanations are being demanded - politely at this stage. Defence Minister Judith Collins has called the Chinese actions unusual, but didn't go so far to call it a show of force by China. But with China's continuing encroachment into the Pacific, and a formalised security deal with the Solomon Islands now in play, surely their intentions is to spend more time in the Tasman Sea. Without a robust response - what's stopping them?   Defence Minister Judith Collins says the presence of three Chinese naval ships off Australia is a wake-up call for New Zealanders. It sure is. We have depleted our defence services, we’re an isolated country that can’t protect ourselves on our own, and we’re very vulnerable to supply chains being disrupted.   Wake-up call received loud and clear.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.