The Defence Minister of New Zealand has expressed concerns regarding the presence of Chinese warships positioned off the eastern coast of Australia, stating that these vessels are equipped with highly advanced weaponry capable of reaching Australian territory.

These three ships, referred to as Taskgroup 107, recently conducted two live-fire drills in the waters between Australia and New Zealand, leading to the diversion of commercial flights overhead last week.

Judith Collins, New Zealand’s Defence Minister, noted on Monday that the ships are currently located about 280 nautical miles (or 518 kilometers) east of Tasmania and are under the vigilant observation of the New Zealand naval vessel, Te Kaha.

According to Collins, the activities of these vessels in the vicinity of New Zealand and Australia, coupled with the brief notice from the Chinese government prior to the live-fire exercise last Friday, was “unusual.”

“We’ve certainly never encountered a task group of such capability engaged in this type of activity before; it’s a significant change,” she mentioned during an interview with RNZ Radio.

“The weaponry they possess is extremely advanced, including one ship that has 112 vertical launch cells and an anti-ship ballistic missile range reported to be 540 nautical miles,” she elaborated.

Collins clarified that, to her knowledge, the vessels are not nuclear-powered and do not carry nuclear armaments or missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

“They haven’t communicated their intentions to us,” Collins stated. “We are taking them at their word that these are standard navigational procedures in compliance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ensuring they remain within legal boundaries.

“However, we believe that more advance notice regarding live-fire exercises is always preferable.”

The Chinese navy had informed the Australian Defence Department only shortly before the drill on Friday.

Collins contested the claims made by China’s ambassador to New Zealand, which asserted that proper advance notice was given for the drills, describing those assertions as “incorrect.”

“There was a warning issued to civil aviation, but it was communicated with very short notice instead of the best practices we would expect, which is 12 to 24 hours. This short timeframe results in aircraft having to be diverted while in the air,” she explained.

On Friday, a New Zealand naval vessel observed the initial live-fire exercise, which involved the ships maneuvering to change formation and deploying a target in the water. Although no live fire was confirmed, the formation changes suggested a live-fire drill was taking place.

On Saturday, New Zealand naval personnel reported that live rounds were indeed fired from a Chinese warship while in international waters.

In response, Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, indicated that senior Defence officials were persistently monitoring the vessels after they were first identified moving south in international waters approximately 280 kilometers off the coast of Sydney on Thursday.

In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong voiced concerns over the limited notice provided before the firing occurred.

China’s maneuvers are believed to be in accordance with international law, and the Australian Defence Force has confirmed that there is no immediate threat to its operations or those of New Zealand.