Coast Guard vessel monitored China's naval exercises off the coast of Australia

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel navigating Pacific waters in a joint security operation with Australia detected Chinese naval exercises in the waters of the Tasman Sea using live ammunition.

The ship was the USCG Midgett. There was, however, no contact or interaction between the Coast Guard vessel and China's warships. However, China's exercises so close to an AUKUS ally are seen as an act of escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington.

"We were aware of their presence," Capt. Matthew Rooney, commanding officer of the Midgett, told the AP on Tuesday. "But it didn't affect our operations. We followed international rules and regulations to avoid collisions at sea and had no encounters, and we expect the Chinese Navy to do the same," he added.

China raised alarm in Australia and New Zealand after it conducted live-fire military drills in the Tasman Sea, which separates the two countries. The communist regime's drills forced several commercial aircraft with passengers on boar to divert their flight paths.

Specifically, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, which warned of the exercises, deployed three vessels to test new ballistic launches: a frigate, a cruiser and a resupply ship.

The authorities of the two island nations were quick to react. New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins criticized Beijing for not giving sufficient warning and endangering commercial aircraft flying over the airspace at the time.