China-Australia tension: incident over South China Sea

During a routine flight over the South China Sea, an Australian military plane is said to have been pushed aside by a Chinese fighter jet. The Government of Australia expressed its concern to Beijing.

The involvement of two military aircraft belonging to the Chinese and Australian armed forces is said to have occurred over the South China Sea. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said a Chinese J-16 fighter jet attempted a dangerous maneuver to intercept an Australian P-8 reconnaissance aircraft.

The incident is being told of 26 May. The reconnaissance aircraft was on regular patrol and in international airspace.

The Chinese plane was the first to emit flames before it stopped in front of the Australian machine. “At the time, it dropped a bundle of husk that contained small bits of aluminum, some of which ended up in the engine of the P-8 aircraft,” Marles said. “It’s obviously very dangerous.” The crew was able to return to base without damage.

China claims territory for itself

According to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australian patrol flights over the South China Sea are not uncommon. China claims its southern coast, a strategically important maritime area between Vietnam and the Philippines. However, this claim was rejected by the Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague in 2016., The United States repeatedly insists on freedom of navigation in the region and accuses China of establishing military bases on islands that are sometimes artificially built for this purpose, which are anti-ship and aircraft. Equipped with anti-missiles.

not the first event

The Australian government has reportedly conveyed its concerns to Beijing. Three months earlier, the Australian government accused the Chinese Navy of the time of blinding the P-8 north of Australia with a laser, and spoke of an “intimidation attempt”. Canada also complained about the “unprofessional” behavior of Chinese pilots towards Canadian machines.

Nearly 20 years ago, in 2001, a Chinese fighter jet collided with a US reconnaissance aircraft during an intercept maneuver – killing the Chinese pilot and imprisoned the US crew for several days in China.