New Zealand’s largest naval vessel briefly encountered a Taiwanese warship while transiting the Taiwan Strait last month, the country’s armed forces said on Tuesday, publishing a rare image of the encounter, Reuters reported.
The HMNZS Aotearoa, an oiler and New Zealand Navy flagship, sailed from the South China Sea to the North Asian region via the Taiwan Strait on November 5. During the journey, it was shadowed by seven Chinese warships, which maintained a “safe and professional distance,” the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) previously stated.
On Monday, the NZDF posted a photo on its website showing a New Zealand sailor observing a distant warship through binoculars. A spokesperson for the NZDF confirmed to Reuters that the vessel pictured was the Taiwanese frigate Cheng Kung, marking a brief encounter in the sensitive waterway. Taiwan’s defence ministry declined immediate comment.
The Cheng Kung is a heavily armed, Taiwan-built frigate based on the U.S. Navy’s Oliver Hazard Perry-class design. A senior Taiwanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said it is standard practice for Taiwan to provide an “escort” to foreign ships from like-minded countries transiting the strait. This is intended to protect the vessels from harassment or simulated attacks by Chinese military forces.
Although New Zealand does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, both countries operate de facto embassies and consider each other important democratic partners. The transit of foreign warships through the Taiwan Strait, which Beijing claims as its sovereign territory, is closely monitored. U.S. warships regularly pass through the strait, prompting protests from China, and other allies including Australia, Britain, and Canada have occasionally made similar transits. Taiwan views these operations as support for freedom of navigation.
Tsai Ming-yen, director-general of the Taiwan National Security Bureau, said earlier this month that Taiwan shares intelligence with international partners operating in the strait. Tsai added that China sometimes simulates attacks on foreign naval vessels, highlighting the risks faced by ships navigating the narrow waterway.
Over the past five years, China has intensified military activity around Taiwan, including large-scale exercises, reflecting Beijing’s longstanding refusal to renounce the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan’s democratically elected government continues to reject China’s sovereignty claims, maintaining vigilance over one of the world’s most strategically sensitive maritime routes.
