Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian has commented on Australia's reactions to China's recent live-fire naval exercises in international waters between Australia and New Zealand, calling them “overblown” and “not true.” This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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The day before, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles expressed concern that China had not provided sufficient information about the exercises, forcing airlines to change flight routes. According to him, Beijing has not provided satisfactory explanations for its military activity in the region.
In a statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry, Qian said that China had repeatedly published safety notices in advance and that its actions were in line with international law and did not affect aviation safety.
“Australia, knowing full well, has made unfounded accusations against China and deliberately inflated the situation,” Qian said in the post. “We are deeply surprised and extremely dissatisfied.
At the same time, New Zealand said on Saturday that it also observed the Chinese navy conducting live-fire exercises for the second day in a row, and that it was monitoring the Chinese fleet.