Australia accuses China of 'unsafe' fighter jet move
of an Australian military aircraft while flying over the South China Sea early this week, authorities in Canberra have said.
Department of Defence Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon during Maritime Cooperative ActivityDepartment of DefenceAustralia said a Chinese J-16 jet was involved in an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction" before an Australian military's P-8A aircraftA Chinese fighter jet released flares in front ofio an Australian military aircraft while flying over the South China Sea early this week, authorities in Canberra have said.
Australia's defence ministry said it "expressed concerns" to its Chinese counterparts over the "unsafe and unprofessional interaction".No one was injured and there was no damage to Australia's P-8A surveillance jet after Tuesday's incident, the ministry said.But China said the Australian aircraft "intentionally intruded" into its airspace and that the Chinese fighter jet responded in a "legitimate, lawful, pIAEA head Rafael Grossi condemned that attack on his staff as "unacceptable", stressing that the agency was "working to prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict".
These vessels had travelled through South East Asia before entering Australia's maritime approaches, with one of the vessels transiting into waters in the country's north, the defence department said. 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," it said
