Australia protests after Chinese fighter jet releases ‘unsafe’ flares near its aircraft in South China Sea

A Chinese fighter jet deployed flares near an Australian surveillance aircraft over international waters in the South China Sea on Sunday, prompting Canberra to accuse Beijing of taking “unsafe” military action.

Defence minister Richard Marles said the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon plane was on a routine surveillance mission when a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLA-AF) Su-35 approached.

“No damage was done but it was dangerous and it was unsafe, and inherent in that is that it could have been a different outcome,” he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel,” a statement from the department of defence said.

“No injuries were sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel nor was damage caused to the RAAF P-8A.

“The safety and wellbeing of our ADF personnel continues to be our utmost priority.”

Mr Marles said that the close release of flares during what was otherwise a routine exercise created an “unsafe” situation.

“As it (the RAAF plane) was doing that, a PLA Air Force [jet] came alongside – that, in and of itself is pretty routine,” he told Sky News.

“It released flares, that of itself can be a reasonably standard interaction between two military aircraft.

“But on two occasions, it released flares very close to the [the RAAF plane] and it’s really that, the proximity at which the flares were released, which has given us cause to deem this unsafe and unprofessional.”

He added: “Now to be very clear, all our crew are safe and obviously the plane landed without incident.”

Mr Marles emphasised the need for consistent conduct and communication in such situations, adding that any interactions deemed unsafe or unprofessional would be publicly disclosed.

“We do a lot of activity to assert the rules-based law around the South China Sea and, to be clear about it, it’s not gratuitous.

“Most of Australia’s trade goes through the South China Sea, and the rules-based order applying there is fundamental to our national interest.