SYDNEY: Australia has publicly rebuked China over what it called unsafe military conduct in the South China Sea.
The Australian defence department reported a Chinese fighter jet approached an Australian Poseidon surveillance aircraft during a routine patrol on Sunday.
The Chinese jet released flares in close proximity to the Australian plane, endangering the crew onboard.
Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed Australia had carefully reviewed the incident and deemed it both unsafe and unprofessional.
Marles stated Australia had raised the encounter with Chinese diplomats in both Canberra and Beijing.
Australia would continue conducting freedom-of-navigation exercises in the region despite the incident.
This marks the latest in a series of similar encounters between Chinese and Australian forces in contested Asian airspace and shipping lanes.
Last year, a Chinese fighter jet was accused of intercepting an Australian Seahawk helicopter in international airspace.
In 2023, a Chinese destroyer allegedly bombarded submerged Australian navy divers with sonar pulses near Japan, causing minor injuries.
China maintains claims over almost the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 international ruling that found these claims lack legal basis. – AFP
