Following reports that a Chinese fighter jet fired flares in the path of an Australian navy helicopter over international waters, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia criticised Beijing for ‘completely unacceptable’ conduct.
According to Australia’s Department of Defense, late on Monday (May 6) evening, a Chinese Air Force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred metres ahead of the MH60R Seahawk helicopter on Saturday while it was flying over the Yellow Sea as part of the UN’s efforts to enforce sanctions on North Korea.
Following Australia’s accusation, China said on Tuesday that its armed forces had taken action to warn and notify an Australian aircraft.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Australia’s Nine Network on Tuesday, “We’ve just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and that it’s unacceptable.”
Albanese stated that Australia had conveyed its concerns through diplomatic and military channels, but Beijing had yet to reply.
The members of the Australian Defense Force were “within international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behaviour, are enforced. They shouldn’t have been at any risk,” he stated.
This is the second such incident in six months. In November, Canberra reported that divers from the Australian Navy were hurt by a Chinese destroyer intentionally damaging them with sonar pulses when they were in Japanese seas. Beijing’s foreign ministry denied using the sonar and said no harm had occurred.
Albanese said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang is set to visit Australia next month. “We will make our position clear as well in discussions,” he added.
According to Defense Minister Richard Marles, on Monday, the pilot had to “take evasive action in order to not be hit by those flares” since they were 300 meters (986 feet) in front of the helicopter and 60 meters (197 feet) above it.
The minister stated that the consequences of being hit by the flares would have been serious. In the event, no injuries or damage were reported. The minister stated that the consequences of being hit by the flares would have been serious. There were no reports of casualties or property damage.