Qantas, Air New Zealand, Emirates adjusted flight paths
China says navy exercises complied with international law
Message was broadcast to airlines on civil aircraft radio channel
Updates with foreign ministers meeting paragraph 10, Australian Defence statement on location and no notice given, paragraphs 4-9, flight risk organisation, paragraph 23
By Kirsty Needham, Lucy Craymer and Lisa Barrington
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised concerns with her Chinese counterpart on Friday over inadequate notice given by the Chinese navy of a rare live-fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights.
Airlines including Qantas, Emirates and Air New Zealand modified flight paths between Australia and New Zealand on Friday after China broadcast a message that its navy would hold live-fire exercises off Australia's New South Wales coast in international waters.
A People's Liberation Army Navy frigate, cruiser and replenishment vessel maritime approaches last week, and travelled down Australia's east coast this week, monitored by the navies and air forces of Australia and New Zealand.
On Friday, the Chinese navy broadcast on a civil aircraft radio channel that it intended to conduct live fire activity in the Tasman Sea 346 nautical miles (641 km) off the Australian town of Eden, an Australian defence spokesperson said in a statement.
"The PLA-N did not inform Defence of its intent to conduct a live fire activity, and has not provided any further information," said the statement provided to Reuters.
Australia believed the live fire activity had most likely ceased because the Chinese navy formation had reverted to normal, it said.
"No weapon firings were heard or seen; however, a floating surface firing target was deployed by the PLA-N and subsequently recovered," it added.
Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Chinese broadcast was picked up by aircraft flying across the Tasman.
"They complied with international law in terms of providing notice, but it was very short notice and it did put commercial planes in a disconcerting circumstance where, you know, they were needing to divert pretty quickly," he said in an ABC radio interview.
Wong met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Johannesburg on Friday and in opening remarks said they would discuss "safe and professional military conduct".
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier told reporters the Australian defence force had advised there was no imminent risk of danger to Australian or New Zealand assets, and China had complied with international law by issuing an alert.
However, Australian officials said it was customary to give 24 to 48 hours notice of live fire activity.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press briefing in Beijing on Friday the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army "organised a fleet of ships to conduct exercises and training in distant waters".
"The exercises and training activities upheld safety standards and professional operations throughout in accordance with relevant international laws and international practices," he said.
The New Zealand frigate Te Kaha was in the vicinity of the Chinese exercise.
"Like Australia, our primary concern is the safety of our people, vessels and aircraft. There is no ongoing danger to New Zealand," New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins said.
AIRLINES DIVERT ACROSS TASMAN SEA
An Emirates flight heard the Chinese broadcast, broadcaster ABC reported, with Emirates later confirming in a statement a flight from Sydney to Christchurch had diverted its route.
"When a change in air space activity was detected, the flight deck crew on EK 412 (21 February) made a slight routing deviation as per standard industry protocol and in conjunction with air traffic control, to maintain optimal safety margins,” an Emirates spokesperson said in the statement.
Airlines were contacted by air traffic control agency Airservices Australia on Friday, warning them of reports of live fire where the Chinese navy task group was operating, the agency and Australian officials said.
Qantas and its low-cost arm Jetstar were monitoring the airspace and adjusted some flight routes across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.
Air New Zealand said it had modified flight paths as needed to avoid the area, with no impact to its operations, while Virgin Australia was following instructions from Airservices Australia.
OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, said the live fire exercise was unusual for the region.
The incident comes a week after about "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by a Chinese fighter jet towards an in the South China Sea. Beijing accused the Australian aircraft of "deliberately intruding" into its airspace.
China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its sweeping claims to the South China Sea were not supported by international law.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham, Byron Kaye, Praveen Menon and Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Xiuhao Chen in Beijing; Lisa Barrington in Seoul; Editing by Jamie Freed, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Ros Russell)
((Kirsty.Needham@thomsonreuters.com [Kirsty.Needham@thomsonreuters.com];))
