China on Thursday warned countries not to stir up any trouble around Taiwan after reports that a New Zealand naval vessel transited the strait between the island and the mainland earlier this month.
“We firmly oppose any country stirring up trouble in the Taiwan Strait or sending wrong signals to Taiwan independence separatists forces,” Chinese Ministry of Defence spokesman Jiang Bin said Thursday at a regular press conference. The Chinese military monitored the transit and effectively responded to the situation, he said.
HMNZS Aotearoa passed through the Taiwan Strait on Nov. 5, according to a statement Thursday from New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins. The ship traveled from the South China Sea to the East China Sea, where it has joined a mission to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea, she said.
The journey, first reported by Reuters, is only the second time a New Zealand naval ship has passed through the strait since 2017, after one transited in September 2024 at the same time as warships from Australia and Japan. That was part of a record number of transits of the strait last year by the US and its security partners, according to publicly available data from Taiwan and the US.
The New Zealand Defense Force said in a separate statement that the Aotearoa was shadowed by seven different ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy that “maintained a safe and professional distance throughout.” Reuters reported Chinese jets carried out simulated attacks during the transit, citing a source with knowledge of the situation who it didn’t identify, without including further details.
The waters around China are becoming increasingly tense, with military patrols from around the region coming into more and more frequent contact with the rapidly growing Chinese navy and air force, which are pushing out further into the Pacific Ocean.
Australia, which is New Zealand’s only security ally, has repeatedly complained about unsafe Chinese actions at sea and in the air when the two nation’s militaries have come into contact. China has also protested what it says are provocative actions by Australia.
Separately on Thursday, the Australian Financial Review reported that Canberra was tracking a flotilla of Chinese ships that it believes could be heading to Australia, citing three sources it didn’t identity. Neither the Chinese or Australian defense ministries confirmed the situation.
A live-fire exercise by the Chinese navy earlier this year in the Tasman Sea raised alarms in Australia and New Zealand. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed concern about the lack of notice from Beijing before the operation, including in-person when he met President Xi Jinping in Beijing in July.
