Protests erupted after a Chinese fighter jet fired flares into the path of an Australian naval helicopter over international waters.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Beijing of “unacceptable” behavior after a Chinese fighter jet reportedly fired flares into the path of an Australian naval helicopter over international waters.
The MH60R Seahawk helicopter was flying over the Yellow Sea on Saturday as part of United Nations efforts to enforce sanctions against North Korea when a Chinese Air Force J-10 jet dropped flares several hundred meters in front of it, the Australian Defense Department said late Monday evening.
“We have just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and unacceptable,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Australia’s Nine Network on Tuesday.
Albanese said Australia had raised its concerns through diplomatic and military channels, although Beijing had not yet responded.
Australian Defense Force personnel were “in international waters and airspace working to ensure the sanctions that the world has imposed on North Korea through the United Nations due to its intransigent and reckless behavior are enforced,” he said.
“They should not have been put at risk,” he added.
This is the second such incident in six months, after Canberra said in November a Chinese destroyer injured Australian navy divers in Japanese waters by deliberately firing sonar pulses at them.
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry denied the use of sonar and said no damage was caused.
Albanese made a groundbreaking trip to China last year, hailing improved economic ties after years of strife and reprisals.
However, tensions remain on the issue of security as Australia moves closer to the United States to counter China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Australia next month, Albanese noted.
“We will also make our position clear in the discussions,” he said.
“Violation of international law”
On Monday, Defense Minister Richard Marles said the flares were 300 meters (986 feet) in front of the helicopter and 60 meters (197 feet) above, forcing the pilot to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by these flares.”
The minister said the consequences of being hit by the flares would have been significant. No injuries or property damage were reported.
Jennifer Parker, a naval expert at the Australian National University and a former naval officer, told public broadcaster ABC that China’s use of flares was “incredibly dangerous” and could have caused the engines to shut down.
“This is not at all normal,” she said. “I would interpret the obstruction of his flight path as a violation of international law.”
In 2022, Australia lodged a protest after a Chinese naval vessel pointed a laser at an Australian military aircraft near Australia’s northern coast.
In another incident in 2022, Australia said a Chinese fighter jet “dangerously intercepted” an Australian military surveillance plane over the disputed South China Sea, releasing a “bundle of chaff” containing pieces of aluminum that got into the Australian plane’s engine.
Chinese naval vessels have been detected off the coast of Australia several times in recent years, including during surveillance exercises with the US military.