MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Australia has appealed to Beijing through multiple channels after Chinese fighter jets fired flares over international waters, endangering a Royal Australian Navy helicopter, the prime minister said Tuesday. Ta.
The incident occurred Saturday while the Australian air combat destroyer HMAS Hobart was enforcing U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea in international waters in the Yellow Sea, officials said Monday. No injuries or damage were reported.
prime minister Anthony Albanese He said Australians were looking forward to an explanation from China.
“We have just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and is not acceptable,” Mr Albanese told Nine Network TV.
“We have made this very clear…through all our channels, through all means at our disposal, including publicly here,” Albanese said. .
He said the Chinese government had not yet made any public comment on the incident.
“It is important to speak up when events like this occur. It is important to make our position clear and this is being done at a diplomatic level, not only between governments but also defense-to-defense. And all those avenues have been made clear. We’ve brought this matter public to say very clearly and unequivocally that this behavior is unacceptable,” the Prime Minister said.
minister of defense Richard Marles China’s Chengdu J-10 fighter jet fired a flare into the flight path of a Royal Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter dispatched from Hobart, it said on Monday.
He said the flares were 300 meters (986 feet) in front of the helicopter and 60 meters (197 feet) above the helicopter, and that the helicopter pilot “had to take evasive action to avoid being hit by the flares.” Stated.
“The impact of a direct hit from a flare would have been significant,” Marles said.
“We will not preclude our participation in lawful activities or activities to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea,” Marles added.
This was the most serious encounter between the two militaries since November, when Australia accused the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo of injuring an Australian Navy diver with a sonar pulse in Japanese waters. Australia says China has ignored security warnings to stay away from the Australian frigate Toowoomba.
China maintains that the encounter occurred outside Japan’s territorial waters and that the Chinese warships did not cause any harm.
Mr Albanese said the talks would be brought up when Chinese Premier Li Qiang visits Australia next month.
Mr Albanese was referring to the period since 2020, when China ended ministerial talks with the previous Australian government, which lost power in the 2022 election.
“One of the things that broke down over a period of time was dialogue. Dialogue is important. Having a means of communication is always, always important,” Albanese told reporters.
During a visit to China in early November, Prime Minister Albanese invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to Australia for the first time in a decade, as relations between the two countries have improved from an unprecedented slump in recent years. He said on Tuesday that Mr Xi would not visit Australia this year.
But Albanese said he expected “some direct engagement” with Chinese leaders when they attend the G20 and APEC summits later this year.
Australian National University naval expert and former naval officer Jennifer Parker said China’s use of flares was “incredibly dangerous”.
“If the helicopter had inhaled one of the flares into its engine, the helicopter’s engine could have stalled and the helicopter could have had to make a forced landing with potential injuries and loss of life,” Parker said. he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“So this is not normal by any stretch of the imagination,” Parker added. “We interpret interfering with flight paths as a violation of international law.
