Chinese warplane fired flares, endangering Australian Navy chopper, says Canberra

Canberra [Australia], May 7 : Australia accused a Chinese fighter jet of endangering a naval helicopter by firing flares into its path over the international waters of the Yellow Sea, CNN reported, adding that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the action as "completely unacceptable".

The alleged incident unfolded as the Australian MH-60R Seahawk helicopter conducted patrols to enforce sanctions on North Korea announced by the United Nations. The Defence Ministry in Canberra stated that the Chinese jet attempted an 'unsafe manoeuvre'.

"This was an unsafe manoeuver which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the statement from Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles read.

In an interview with 9 News on Monday, Defence Minister Marles said the Chinese jet "dropped flares about 300 meters (984 feet) in front of the Seahawk helicopter and about 60 meters (197 feet) above it", according to CNN.

While there were no reports of injuries or damage in the incident, the gravity of the situation underscores the inherent dangers of such confrontations in international airspace, the report noted.

This altercation marks yet another addition to a series of confrontations between China's military and other nations in international waters, and, comes at a sensitive time as both Canberra and Beijing seek to mend strained relations following years of trade disputes and diplomatic tensions.

The Seahawk helicopter, a vital asset in enforcing UN sanctions against North Korea, was carrying out air patrol after taking off from the destroyer HMAS Hobart when the alleged incident took place.

Prime Minister Albanese stressed the importance of upholding these sanctions in light of North Korea's "intransient and reckless behaviour," highlighting the significance of maintaining international security protocols.

"They're in 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," PM Albanese told CNN affiliate Nine News.

"They shouldn't have been at any risk while they engaged in that behaviour," Albanese said of the Australian crew, adding that "appropriate diplomatic representations" have been made with Beijing.

"We've just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and that it's unacceptable," he added.

China is yet to issue any statement about this incident at this time.

This incident bears striking resemblance to a previous encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a Canadian military helicopter, where, too, flares were deployed close to the aircraft.

"The risk to a helicopter in that instance is the flares moving into the rotor blades or the engines so this was categorised as both unsafe and non-standard, unprofessional," Maj. Rob Millen, air officer aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa, told CNN after the October incident.

Such actions have been called out as unsafe and unprofessional by military officials, raising concerns about the potential for miscalculations and accidents in highly volatile situations.

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton voiced concerns, highlighting the risk of tragic outcomes resulting from potential miscalculations. He urged Prime Minister Albanese to directly communicate Canberra's concerns to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, emphasising the need for dialogue and de-escalation.

"At some stage, there's going to be a miscalculation and an Australian Defence Force member is going to lose their life. That is a tragic circumstance that has to be avoided at all costs," Dutton said in an interview with Nine News.

"There will be a miscalculation by somebody who's flying that jet or somebody who's on the deck of a Chinese naval ship. Something will happen and that's what, not just Australia is worried about, the Philippines, Japan, obviously the United States, many other countries in the region, who are very worried about these acts that continue to be provocative, and completely and utterly unnecessary," Dutton said.

Previous incidents between Australia and China have further strained bilateral relations, including encounters where Chinese warships harassed Australian Navy divers and instances where Chinese military aircraft engaged in provocative manoeuvers near Australian aircraft.

Despite Australia's accusations, China has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that its actions adhere to international law, CNN reported.

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