Australia has defended the right of its navy to conduct joint exercises, as a fleet of ships sails north towards the South China Sea.
Six vessels are involved in the deployment in the Indo-Pacific and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says they will carry out exercises and visit regional ports.
"This is part of what the Australian navy does," she told Sky News outside UN headquarters in New York.
Ms Bishop says the exercise has been planned for some time.
"The Australian navy has a very long history in engagement with other navies in our region, visiting ports, carrying out joint exercises - indeed we've carried out exercises with China in the past."
She didn't expect to have the exercise raised with her during talks at the United Nations.
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