China accuses Australia of ‘hyping’ Chinese naval live fire drills

Beijing on Feb 23 said Canberra had “deliberately hyped” recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident that rattled Australian policymakers. The authorities in Australia and close ally New Zealand have been monitoring three Chinese navy vessels spotted in recent days in international waters of the nearby Tasman Sea. Canberra said on Feb 22 it had not yet received a satisfactory explanation from Beijing for the Feb 21 drill, which saw the Chinese ships broadcast a live-fire warning that caused commercial planes to change course. China’s defence ministry hit back on Feb 23, saying the “relevant remarks of the Australian side are completely inconsistent with facts”, while also confirming the use of live ammunition. “During the period, China organised live-fire training of naval guns toward the sea on the basis of repeatedly issuing prior safety notices,” Wu Qian, a spokesman for the defence ministry, said in a statement. Wu added that China’s actions were “in full compliance with international law and international practices, with no impact on aviation flight safety”.“Australia, while well aware of this, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up,” said Wu, adding that Beijing was “astonished and strongly dissatisfied”.<br/>