A U.S. Coast Guard cutter crossing the Tasman Sea as part of maritime security cooperation with Australia and New Zealand knew Chinese naval ships were in the area but had no interaction with them, its commanding officer said on Tuesday.

New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins said Monday that a Chinese naval group conducting military exercises in the Tasman Sea was armed with "extremely capable."

The furore is part of the efforts to justify New Zealand’s integration into US-led war plans against China, which is the main target of US imperialism as it seeks to shore up its global domination. The Trump administration is drastically escalating the trade war against Beijing, while demanding that US allies rapidly build up their armed forces.