The live-fire exercises were a display to show that China’s military forces could cut off the air and sea links between Australia and New Zealand at any time, with no warning.
China’s aggressive act is a shot across the bow to New Zealand and Australia, but also to the countries of the wider Pacific. It is a demonstration of China’s growing sea power in the Southwest Pacific and meant to normalize the PLA presence there.
The PLAN live-fire exercises were not merely a tit-for-tat response to Australia or New Zealand’s periodic freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait, as some commentators have claimed. They were designed to send the message loud and clear that China wants to rule the waves in the Pacific and to force Australia and New Zealand to accept the new normal.
In essence, China is challenging the existing strategic setup.
thediplomat.com/2025/02/a-shot
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Byron Wan
@Byron_Wan
Department of Defence didn’t learn of the 
PLA live fire drill on Feb 21 until ~40 minutes after it had begun
Defence were told of the drill about 10 minutes after a Virgin pilot relayed a Chinese radio broadcast it received about 9:58am, of a live weapons drill x.com/byron_wan/stat…
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