China rebukes Australia for comments on naval drills near New Zealand

China recently held live-fire naval drills in international waters between Australia and New Zealand. The drills lasted two days and caused three flights to be diverted, prompting complaints from both Australia and New Zealand about insufficient notice. In response, China accused Australia of exaggerating the situation. China's Defense Ministry stated that it had issued prior safety notices and claimed that Australia's remarks were "inconsistent with facts." Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles acknowledged that while China did not break international law, it failed to follow best practices for notice. He noted that the government is still awaiting a satisfactory explanation from China regarding the notice for the drills.