Australia protested against what they called an “unsafe and unprofessional” interaction in the South China Sea. A Chinese fighter is accused of shooting flares at a surveillance aircraft in Australia, putting its safety at risk.
Richard Marles, Defense Minister, said a Chinese J-16 fighter had fired flares on a P-8 Poseidon spy jet on Tuesday. The incident took place in daylight, in international airspace, and within 30 meters of the surveillance aircraft. The Australian aircraft normally carries eight or nine crew members. Marles said that the plane had not been damaged and no crew member was injured.
Marles told Sky News, “The J-16’s proximity was such that you could not have guaranteed that flares did not hit the P-8.”
He said that if “any of these flares” had hit the P-8, that aircraft could have suffered significant damage.”
Guo Jiakun of the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Australia of deliberately invading airspace over the Paracel Islands, which China claims. Guo said, “China’s actions in removing the aircraft from airspace are legal, professional and restrained.” “
Marles reported on Australia’s protests in Beijing and Canberra, the capital city of Australia, on Wednesday and Thursday. In the protest, it was alleged that two Chinese pilots performed an “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver”, which could have been dangerous to the aircraft or crew. The protest demonstrates that, although bilateral diplomatic relations and commercial ties have improved, there is still danger in the relationship between the two militaries.
The Australian media has reported this is the first major conflict between Chinese and Australian forces in nine months. Australia accused the Chinese J-10 pilot in May last year of unsafe and unprofessional behavior after he dropped flares onto the path of an Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter.
Australia said that the pilot had to take evasive actions to avoid the flares. Experts have warned that the flare could have caused the helicopter to abandon the ship if it had struck an engine. China complained that the helicopter was flying close to its airspace and trying to conduct reconnaissance on a Chinese Navy exercise.
In 2023, Australia accused Beijing of an unsafe and unprofessional interaction near the coasts of Japan after a Chinese destroyer approached a military vessel in which divers were trying to untangle the propellers of its fishing nets. Australia’s Defense Ministry stated that the Chinese vessel “operated its sonar hull mounted in a manner that posed a risk to the safety” of the Australian divers.
Former president Joe Biden announced that Australia would purchase attack submarines with nuclear power from the U.S. on January 20, 2023. This partnership was announced between the U.S. and Australia in 2021.
Tensions and military clashes have increased in recent months in the South China Sea. The Philippines and China are at odds with each other over maritime rights, and ownership of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. The Philippine Police reported last month that a submersible, believed to be Chinese, was found in the waters of the South China Sea.
U.S. MaryKay Carlson, the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, accused Beijing of disrupting a Philippine naval operation in a post on social media. In a social media post, the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines accused Beijing of disrupting an operation by Philippine sailors.
