A group of Chinese navy vessels, including a formidable warship, sailing legally in the Tasman Sea have raised alarm in Australia and New Zealand because they were in unusually southern waters and on an undeclared mission.

几艘在塔斯曼海合法航行的中国海军舰艇（包括一艘强大的军舰）由于来到异常靠南的水域，执行未经宣布的任务，引起了澳大利亚和新西兰的警惕。

Australian officials said Thursday that they were closely monitoring the ships — a cruiser, a frigate and a supply vessel. They have been tracking them since last week, when they were detected off Australia’s northeast coast.

澳大利亚官员周四表示，他们正在密切监视这些船只，其中包括一艘巡洋舰、一艘护卫舰和一艘补给舰。自上周在澳大利亚东北海岸发现这些船只以来，他们一直在追踪这些舰船。

This week, the three ships were traveling within about 150 nautical miles of Sydney, outside Australia’s territorial waters but within its exclusive economic zone, according to an Australian government official speaking on condition of anonymity. Their presence near Sydney was first reported by The Financial Times.

据一名不愿透露姓名的澳大利亚政府官员称，本周，这三艘船在距离悉尼约150海里的范围内航行，虽不在澳大利亚领海，但在其专属经济区内。《金融时报》最先报道了他们在悉尼附近出现的消息。

China’s military has not publicly commented on the naval vessels, and the Chinese Embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comment.

中国军方尚未就这些海军舰艇发表公开评论，中国驻澳大利亚大使馆也没有回应置评请求。

Richard Marles, Australia’s defense minister and deputy prime minister, said that the ships were operating in accordance with international law, and that the Australian military was closely observing their activities from the sea and from the air. He said in a television interview that the presence of the Chinese navy in the area was “not unprecedented,” but “unusual.”

澳大利亚国防部长兼副总理理查德·马尔斯表示，这些船只的行动符合国际法，澳大利亚军方正从海上和空中密切监视它们的活动。他在接受电视采访时说，中国海军出现在该地区“并非史无前例”，但“不同寻常”。

“We are keeping close watch on them, and we will be making sure that we watch every move,” he said.

他说：“我们正在密切关注它们，我们将确保关注他们的一举一动。”

Chinese warships docked at Sydney Harbor in 2019, in what the prime minister at the time called a “reciprocal visit” after Australian navy ships had visited Chinese ports. This time, Australian officials said they were in the dark about where the ships were headed and what their objective was.

2019年，澳大利亚海军舰艇访问中国港口之后，中国军舰也在悉尼港停靠，当时的总理称之为“互访”。这一次，澳大利亚官员表示，他们对这些船只的目的地和目的一无所知

But Australia had good reason to be concerned by the proximity of the Chinese warships to its coastline, according to Bec Strating, an expert on maritime disputes, given China’s recent history of exerting force in disputed waters like the South China Sea, and flouting maritime rules

但据海洋争端专家贝克·斯特拉廷称，考虑到中国近期在南海等争议水域动用武力并藐视海事规则的举动，澳大利亚有充分的理由担心中国军舰靠近其海岸线。

“What is the Chinese navy doing this far south?” said Ms. Strating, who is a professor of international relations at La Trobe University. “That would be the thing that is causing anxiety. Is this intelligence gathering, is this really just signaling to Australia that the Chinese are also able to have naval presence in these areas?”

“中国海军到这么南的地方干什么？”拉筹伯大学国际关系教授斯特拉廷说。“这将引起焦虑。这是在收集情报吗？这真的只是在向澳大利亚发出信号，表明中国也有能力在这些地区部署海军吗？”

One of the ships is the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi, which the U.S. Naval Institute has described as “among the most formidable warships afloat.”

其中一艘是055型巡洋舰遵义号，美国海军研究所将其描述为“海上最强大的战舰之一”。

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the fact that one of the Chinese navy’s newest and most powerful warships was involved made it clear the trip was designed to send a message about China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army.

新加坡南洋理工大学高级研究员许瑞麟表示，中国海军一艘最新、最强大的军舰参与了此次行动，显然表明此次航行旨在传递中国军队——中国人民解放军的信息。

“It’s meant to demonstrate naval power,” he said. “It’s meant to signal to Australia and to the U.S., the P.L.A. navy is not going to be constrained in movements and actions.”

“这是为了展示海军力量，”他说。“这意味着向澳大利亚和美国发出信号，中国海军的行动和行为不会受到限制。”

New Zealand’s defense minister, Judith Collins, said on Thursday that its military was jointly monitoring the ships’ movements with Australia. She said she was concerned by the types of ships involved and by the lack of communication from China.

新西兰国防部长朱迪思·柯林斯周四表示，新西兰军方正在与澳大利亚共同监视这些船只的动向。她说，她对涉事船只的类型以及中国方面缺乏沟通感到担忧。

“I’m sorry to say things are more tense” since China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in September that landed in the Pacific Ocean, Ms. Collins told reporters in Wellington, the capital, according to the New Zealand Herald.

据《新西兰先驱报》报道，柯林斯在新西兰首都惠灵顿对记者表示，自从中国去年9月发射一枚洲际弹道导弹落入太平洋以来，“我很遗憾地说，局势更加紧张了”。

Last week, an Australian maritime patrol plane had a close encounter with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. The Australian Defense Forces accused the Chinese of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct, while a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry accused Australia of provocation and intruding into Chinese territory.

上周，一架澳大利亚海上巡逻机在南中国海上空与一架中国战斗机近距离遭遇。澳大利亚国防军指责中国的行为“不安全和不专业”，而中国外交部发言人指责澳大利亚挑衅并侵入中国领土。