Defence Minister Richard Marles says the interception of one in every of Australia’s maritime surveillance plane by a Chinese language fighter airplane over the South China Sea final month was a “very harmful” state of affairs.
In an announcement, the Division of Defence mentioned on 26 Could a RAAF P-8 maritime surveillance plane was intercepted by a Chinese language J-16 fighter plane throughout a routine maritime surveillance exercise in worldwide airspace within the South China Sea area.
“The intercept resulted in a harmful manoeuvre which posed a security risk to the P-8 plane and its crew,” it mentioned.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the federal government has expressed its issues with the Chinese language authorities by way of applicable channels.
“The Australian authorities has raised our issues concerning the incident with the Chinese language authorities,” Mr Albanese instructed reporters in Perth
“We’re involved about this incident. We’ve got expressed these issues by way of applicable channels.
“I gained’t be making additional touch upon it, apart from to say that within the Australian authorities’s view, within the defence division’s view, this was not secure, what occurred, and we’ve made applicable representations to the Chinese language authorities expressing our concern at this.”
Mr Marles mentioned the Chinese language J-16 plane flew very near the aspect of the Australian airplane, the place it launched flares.
“The J-16 then accelerated and lower throughout the nostril of the P-8, settling in entrance of the P-8 at very shut distance,” he instructed reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.
“At that second, it then launched a bundle of chaff, which accommodates small items of aluminium, a few of which wee ingested into the engine of the P-8aircraft. Fairly clearly, that is very harmful.”
Mr Marles mentioned the Australian crew was unhurt, and Australia would “not be deterred” from persevering with actions within the South China Sea.
“The exercise of the P-8 kind a part of maritime surveillance exercise which has been undertaken by Australia within the South China Sea for many years; different nations do the identical,” he mentioned.
“The South China Sea issues to Australia. It issues to Australia as a result of most of our commerce traverses the South China Sea. And so, as a nation, we’re deeply invested within the UN Conference on the Regulation of the Sea, we’re deeply invested within the rights of freedom of navigation within the South China Sea.”
The division mentioned Defence has for many years undertaken maritime surveillance actions within the area and does so in accordance with worldwide regulation, exercising the proper to freedom of navigation and overflight in worldwide waters and airspace.
Opposition Chief and former defence minister Peter Dutton mentioned the incident was regarding.
“This can be a very severe time, and we’ll help the federal government in no matter actions they should take to maintain our nation secure,” he instructed reporters in Brisbane, the place he was asserting his coalition frontbench.
“An act of aggression, as we have now seen right here, just isn’t dissimilar to what we have now despatched regularly within the East China Sea.”
He has appointed Western Australian MP and former SAS member Andrew Hastie as opposition defence spokesman.