China accused by Australia of ‘unsafe and unprofessional’ incident in South China Sea

Australia has lodged an official protest with Beijing after a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares on an Australian aircraft in an “unsafe and unprofessional” incident.

In what is being treated as a “coincidence” but a reminder of the complex strategic environment, the Australian Defence Force have also sounded the alarm on three Chinese vessels operating in Australia’s north-east waters.

A RAAF P8- Poseidon was conducting a routine surveillance patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday when a People’s Liberation Army J-16 released flares within 30 metres of the ADF crew.

No personnel were injured and there was no damage to the Australian aircraft, but the Government quickly lodged formal objections with China in both Canberra and Beijing.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said there had been no way of ensuring the flares could have been deployed without hitting the P-8, and if they had, it would have “definitely had the potential for significant damage”.

“As a result, that is an action we’ve declared as being unsafe. We have made representations about our concerns to the Chinese government both yesterday and today here in Canberra, but also in Beijing,” he said.

“Clearly our defence forces are going to interact with each other. We know that, but what’s really important is that when they do, they do so in a manner which is safe and professional, and this wasn’t.”

It’s the latest in a string of unsafe and unprofessional incidents Australia has experienced at the hands of the PLA, following a “very dangerous” release of chaff at an Australian P8 in 2022, China using sonar pulses against Australian divers in 2023, and China releasing flares near a Navy helicopter last year while conducting a UN mission near the Korean Peninsula.

“Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner,” Defence said in a statement.

Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie said the reports were “deeply troubling”.

“These actions are not only dangerous and reckless, but they put the lives of our Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel — who were thankfully not injured during this incident — at risk,” he said.

Separately, the ADF have revealed they are monitoring three Chinese warships operating in Coral Sea waters to Australia’s north-east.

The Chinese naval task group — made up of a frigate, cruiser and a tanker — travelled through South East Asia before approaching Australia. While the Chinese navy are not breaching international law, Australian officials are on guard enough to issue a rare statement.

“Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, just as we expect others to respect Australia’s right to do the same,” the ADF said in a statement.

“Defence will continue to monitor the activities of the (Chinese) task group in Australia’s maritime approaches with a combination of capabilities, including air and maritime assets.”

The frigate transited the Torres Strait on Tuesday and has now rendezvoused with the tanker within Australia’s exclusive economic zone, while the cruiser is stationed outside the zone.

Mr Marles said while the presence of the ships is not a violation of international law, and does not appear connected to the flare incident, it serves as a stark reminder of the precarious and complex strategic environment.

He has ordered a deployment of both navy and airforce assets to shadow and “monitor the task group, wherever it goes”.

“We think that this is what is prudent right now. It’s important to understand as best we can exactly what this task group is doing, and what it’s seeking to achieve,” Mr Marles told Sky news.

“We are responding in a serious way… I’m not going to jump to conclusions about what the task group is doing, part of this is about making sure we are shadowing, so we get the best understanding.”