Australia's defense forces, joined by New Zealand, have been monitoring Chinese navy vessels since they were spotted last week.

The verbal crossfire follows Australia’s complaint that it did not receive sufficient notice of a military drill conducted by Chinese warships on Friday.

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.