The unusual deployment by three navy ships over the past month has prompted a debate in Australia about its aging fleet and reliance on the United States.

On Feb. 21, the Chinese carried out a live-fire exercise in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand at short notice, prompting airlines to divert commercial flights to avoid the risk of an accident.

For nearly a month, three Chinese warships made an unannounced journey around Australia, leaving the country on high alert. The flotilla consisted of a cruiser, a frigate, and a replenishment tanker,

Amid the furore, no-one has suggested that the Chinese “live fire” exercises were a military threat, were not held in international waters or that China had no right to carry them out.

It was a Virgin Australia pilot who first raised the alarm. At 9.58am on Friday Feb 21, the pilot intercepted a warning from the Chinese navy: a flotilla of warships were conducting live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea,