Australia Slams 'Unsafe' Conduct of Chinese Fighter Jet Over S. China Sea

Australia said on Feb 13 that a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea, accusing Beijing of "unsafe" military conduct.

- AFP

SYDNEY -

Beijing swiftly hit back, accusing the Australian plane of "violating Chinese sovereignty and endangering Chinese national security".

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling in 2016 concluding this has no legal basis.

The Australian plane was flying a "routine" surveillance patrol over the contested waters on Feb 11 when a Chinese fighter jet approached, Canberra's Defence Department said.

The Shenyang J-16 strike jet "released flares in close proximity" to the Australian Poseidon surveillance plane, it added, calling the incident "an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel".

The department said the Australian government had "expressed its concerns" to China over the incident.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that "without Chinese permission, the Australian military aircraft deliberately intruded into the airspace around China's Xisha Islands", Beijing's name for the Paracel Islands.