China-Australia ties unlikely to deteriorate over Yellow Sea military skirmish, analysts say

Name: Australian leader slams China for ‘unacceptable’ use of flares near military helicopter
Uploaded: 2024-05-10T02:00:28.000Z
Duration: 2 min 16 s
Description: Australian leader slams China for ‘unacceptable’ use of flares near military helicopter

An aerial military skirmish in the Yellow Sea sparked fresh tension but stabilising China-Australia ties will soothe ruffled feathers, analysts say

China’s lower level military authorities could be ‘overzealous’ because they believe Beijing desired an aggressive response, possibly resulting in the skirmish

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A helicopter prepares to take off from the deck of HMAS Hobart. Photo: AP

Su-Lin Tanin Singapore

Published: 10:00am, 10 May 2024Updated: 10:09am, 10 May 2024

A recent aerial confrontation between an Australian military helicopter and a Chinese fighter jet in the Yellow Sea has sparked fresh tensions, but stabilising bilateral ties between both sides are expected to soothe any potential escalation, analysts say.

The incident highlighted the higher frequency of such encounters as geopolitical uncertainty grows, analysts say, suggesting this could shed light on China’s military approach to preventing mid-air collisions, especially after a fatal 2001 accident in Hainan.

Australia’s defence department and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week rebuked Beijing over a manoeuvre by a People’s Liberation Army fighter aircraft on Saturday, which had jeopardised an Australian navy helicopter launched from the Australian navy’s HMAS Hobart.

The HMAS Hobart was in the Yellow Sea enforcing United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea, when the Chinese aircraft released flares across the helicopter’s flight path, Australia’s defence department says.

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Australian leader slams China for ‘unacceptable’ use of flares near military helicopter

The incident sparked domestic uproar, with Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton urging Albanese to raise his concerns directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, while Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie slammed the Albanese government for being weak on China.