Australia accuses Chinese fighter jet of releasing flares near RAAF aircraft in ‘dangerous’ incident | Australian military
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles condemned the “unsafe and unprofessional” behavior of the Chinese military, saying a fighter jet dropped a flare near an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea.
Australian defense forces expressed “concern” about the incident, saying it posed a risk to Royal Australian Air Force personnel and aircraft. No injuries or damage occurred as a result of the actions.
This is at least the third such incident to occur in the past 18 months, with similar contested encounters occurring in February and May 2024.
The Australian surveillance aircraft P-8A Poseidon is built on a modified Boeing 737 airframe; This means it cannot maneuver quickly compared to a fighter jet.
Marles said the Chinese fighter jet fired its flares “very close” to the Australian plane on Sunday, but did not say whether it was in its direct flight path.
“It was dangerous and it was unsafe, and it’s the nature of that situation that … there could have been a different outcome,” Marles, who is also defense minister, said Monday.
“And because we have determined that this is both unsafe and unprofessional, we are making this public and going through the specific procedures we follow when this occurs.”
In a statement published on the defense department’s website, the Australian government said it “expects all countries, including China, to use their militaries in a safe and professional manner.”
“ADF has been carrying out maritime surveillance activities in the region for decades and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace,” the statement said.
Guardian Australia has contacted the Chinese embassy in Canberra for comment.
In February, shortly before the federal election, Australia rejected Chinese claims that an RAAF aircraft had “deliberately intruded into China’s airspace” and undermined its national security. This came after a Chinese navy fighter pilot fired a flare near the Australian aircraft.
The federal government has previously said that in May 2024, an Australian helicopter serving on a UN mission was forced to take evasive action to avoid being hit by flares fired by a Chinese warplane, in another incident that was condemned as “unacceptable”.
Australia and its allies, such as the United States and regional partners, routinely conduct freedom of navigation exercises in international waters in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.
The region comes into conflict with Beijing claiming much of it belongs to China, while Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines dispute those claims.
