Australia-China relations: Albanese reaches out to Beijing over fighter jet encounter
- PM raised concerns with Beijing over a ‘dangerous manoeuvre’ between a Chinese fighter jet and an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea
- Last week, the Canadian military reported similar incidents to the Australian encounter, claiming Chinese jets had repeatedly buzzed their surveillance planes
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian government has reached out to Beijing to raise concerns over what he described as a “dangerous manoeuvre” between a Chinese fighter jet and an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea.
According to Australia’s Department of Defence, a RAAF P-8 aircraft was undertaking routine maritime surveillance activity in the region on May 26 when it was intercepted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft. The Chinese jet flew “very close to the side” of the P-8 aircraft, before cutting in front of the Australian plane and releasing a “bundle of chaff which contains small pieces of aluminium,” Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday.
“The Department of Defence has for many decades undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace,” Albanese said.
In recent years, the Chinese government has expanded its control over the South China Sea, which it insists is part of its national territory despite several overlapping claims from neighbouring countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam. Since 2015, Beijing has built and militarised a number of artificial islands to solidify its claims in the region.