An unusual series of military exercises by Chinese warships in the sea between Australia and New Zealand has prompted reproval from leaders in both countries about the amount of warning given

New Zealand raised fresh concerns Monday over nearby live-fire drills conducted by Chinese warships armed with “extremely capable” weapons, an unprecedented show of firepower last week that analysts say are part of Beijing’s ongoing plan to build a blue-water navy with global reach.

The verbal crossfire follows Australia’s complaint that it did not receive sufficient notice of a military drill conducted by Chinese warships on Friday.

Beijing on Sunday said Canberra had “deliberately hyped” recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident th

The defence ministry has hit back at Australia’s response to its naval exercises off the east coast, labelling Canberra’s protests as “unreasonable”.

New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins said Monday that a Chinese naval group conducting military exercises in the Tasman Sea was armed with "extremely capable."

China defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said on Sunday that Australian complaints over recent Chinese live-fire naval drills in international waters between Australia and New Zealand were "hyped up" and "inconsistent with the facts".

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Chinese warships conducting unusual exercises near Tasmania are armed with “extremely capable” long-range ballistic missiles, New Zealand’s defence minister warned.