Australia accuses China of 'unsafe' navy jet manoeuvres

[ad_1] Australia has accused a Chinese language navy plane of releasing flares "in shut proximity" to its patrol jet over the South China Sea.

The Australian authorities has raised its concern with Beijing over the "unsafe and unprofessional" manoeuvre, the defence division mentioned in an announcement on Monday.

There was no harm to Australia's P-8A plane and its personnel had been unhurt after Sunday's encounter.

"Australia expects all international locations, together with China, to function their militaries in a secure {and professional} method," Australia Defrence Drive mentioned.

A spokesperson for the Chinese language Overseas Ministry was unaware of the incident when requested by reporters.

That is the newest in a string of encounters between the 2 international locations' militaries within the area, the place China's huge claims over islands and outcrops overlap with these of its neighbours.

Sunday's incident additionally occurred as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was heading to the US for a gathering with President Donald Trump, the place the 2 leaders are anticipated to debate the Aukus - a multi-billion greenback submarine deal between Australia, the US and the UK.

Australia has additionally accused a Chinese language jet of dropping flares close to an Australian aircraft within the space in February. China at the moment mentioned the Australian jet had deliberately intruded into its airspace and that its response was "lawful and restrained".

Whereas it has no claims to the South China Sea, Australia has aligned itself near the US and its allies in saying that China's assertions haven't any authorized foundation.

In Could final yr, Australia accused a Chinese language fighter aircraft of dropping flares near an Australian navy helicopter that was a part of a UN Safety Council mission on the Yellow Sea off the Korean shoreline.

In November 2023, Canberra accused Beijing's navy of utilizing sonar pulses in worldwide waters off Japan, which resulted in accidents to Australian divers.