Chinese Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang
China’s defense ministry urges New Zealand to restrain frontline forces, stop disruptive acts after NZ aircraft’s harassment in Yellow Sea and East China Sea By Global Times Published: Apr 17, 2026 05:11 PM
When asked to comment on the repeated recent activities of a New Zealand air force military aircraft near China's peripheral airspace, which have disrupted numerous civil aviation flights, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Friday that a P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft of the New Zealand air force conducted continuous close-in reconnaissance and harassment in the airspace and waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Such actions undermine China's security interests, heighten the risks of misunderstanding and miscalculation, and severely disrupt civil aviation operations in relevant airspace.
China has taken firm and forceful response and lodged stern representations with the New Zealand side. China urges New Zealand to strictly abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, respect China's sovereignty and security concerns, and safeguard the safety and order of civil aviation, Guo said.
Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, also responded to the matter on Friday at a press conference. Zhang said that recently, a P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft of the New Zealand air force has conducted frequent close-in reconnaissance and harassment in the airspace and waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in disregard of China's warnings. The Chinese military has taken professional and forceful measures to respond to and deal with the situation, and lodged stern representations with the New Zealand side.
Such acts by New Zealand undermine China's sovereignty and security, severely disrupt flight order in relevant airspace, and may easily trigger maritime and aerial incidents, Zhang said. "We urge the New Zealand side to exercise strict restraint on its frontline forces, immediately stop disruptive and irresponsible acts that jeopardize civil aviation safety, and prevent risks of misunderstanding and miscalculation," the spokesperson said.
Global Times
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"Near" China's airspace? Not "in". 🤔. So in international airspace then? Where anyone can legally fly and rightfully expect to not be harassed?
Okay China... Send up an intercepter and escort the New Zealanders and be quiet about it. The North American Air Defense Identification Zone gets buzzed just about every single day. 🙄
From a peak of over 1,000 combat aircraft in 1945, the RNZAF has shrunk to a strength of 44 aircraft in 2026. It focuses on maritime patrol and transport duties in support of the Royal New Zealand Navy and the New Zealand Army. Its air combat capability ended in 2001, with the disbanding of the A-4 Skyhawk and Aermacchi MB-339 equipped squadrons.
When asked to comment on the repeated recent activities of a New Zealand air force military aircraft near China's peripheral airspace, which have disrupted numerous civil aviation flights... "We urge the New Zealand side to exercise strict restraint on its frontline forces, immediately stop disruptive and irresponsible acts that jeopardize civil aviation safety...
The issue with China isn't with NZ flying within International airspace and near China's peripheral airspace, it's with NZ conducting their military airborne missions within the arrival and departure corridor that is assigned to civil commercial airline traffic entering and departing from China.
That's why the Chinese Minister of National Defense called for NZ to "...immediately stop disruptive and irresponsible acts that jeopardize civil aviation safety..".
@swirlie Do you seriously feel that NZ would put a half billion dollar aircraft at risk simply to 'harass' a few flights transiting international airspace?
RNZAF aircrews are highly trained and very professional - they're not just blindly wandering around the sky hoping not to cause an accident!
China's security interests
They probe our defences and we probe theirs - same game, different day. Note the complaint isn't coming from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - it's coming from the Chinese military.
Do you seriously feel that NZ would put a half billion dollar aircraft at risk simply to 'harass' a few flights transiting international airspace?
A half-billion dollar aircraft being put at risk is not what the post by the OP is about. You need to read it again.
What's at risk here are civilian airliners carrying 200 passengers each and which are spaced 3 minutes apart in both directions through those civilian arrival and departure corridors the Chinese are complaining to the NZ Air Force about.
This is not about a few expensive military aircraft being put at risk which carry 2 Enlisted military personnel each. That's hardly the point of the article!
The Chinese are telling the NZ Air Force to get the hell out of those civilian airline flight corridors and go and do your training and recognizance elsewhere, if for no other reason than for the benefit of flight safety.
