Three Chinese warships have been spotted in international waters off the coast of Australia’s largest city, Sydney, in a rare show of military might that will likely test diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing.

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 insouciant voyage by the Chinese around our waters must surely be the start of things to come, as Beijing flexes its muscles to remind friends and foes of the strength and length of its reach. Want to unlock unlimited news?

China has agreed to consider concerns that its military did not give enough notice before staging live-fire exercises in the waters between New Zealand and Australia last week, the foreign minister of New Zealand said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Beijing responds indignantly to the uproar in Australia as well as New Zealand following a week of military exercises staged by three Chinese warships

Australia learned about Chinese live-fire naval drills off the country’s coast that forced dozens of flights to be diverted via an alert from a commercial pilot, authorities said on Monday. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s unprecedented show of firepower in waters between Australia and New Zealand has raised alarm in both countries in recent days as a clearer picture emerges of how much warning Beijing gave about the exercises.

The Chinese Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, criticized Canberra's decision to ban the artificial intelligence app DeepSeek on government devices. He warned that this move could further politicize trade and technological ties between the two countries,

Strategic Analysis Australia Director Peter Jennings claims Beijing’s live fire drills were an act of “Chinese intimidation”.

China issued a warning Friday of potential "live fire" naval drills in international waters off Australia's eastern coast but gave little prior notice, disrupting commercial flights, the Australian government said. Beijing described the maneuvers as ...

Australia's center-left Labour government became one of the first countries in the world to ban DeepSeek from official devices

As China asserts itself as the dominant regional power, circumnavigating Australia for no good reason apart from intimidation and showing its naval prowess, the coming election needs a khaki colour. The first major defence commitment of the campaign has come from Peter Dutton and it is a good one,