SYDNEY: Australia on Monday rebuked Beijing for “unsafe” military conduct, accusing a Chinese warplane of dropping flares near an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea.
The Australian Poseidon was flying a surveillance patrol over the South China Sea on Sunday when it was approached by a Chinese fighter jet, Australia’s defense department said.
The Chinese jet released flares in “close proximity” to the Australian aircraft, the defense department added, endangering the crew onboard.
It was the latest in a string of episodes between China and Australia in the increasingly contested airspace and shipping lanes of Asia.
“Having reviewed the incident very carefully, we’ve deemed this to be both unsafe and unprofessional,” Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters.
