Australia said on Thursday that a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea, accusing Beijing of “unsafe” military conduct.

Beijing swiftly hit back, accusing the Australian plane of “violating Chinese sovereignty and endangering Chinese national security”.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling in 2016 concluding this has no legal basis.

The Australian plane was flying a “routine” surveillance patrol over the contested waters on February 11 when the Chinese aircraft approached, Canberra’s defence department said on Thursday.

The Shenyang J-16 strike jet “released flares in close proximity” to the Australian Poseidon surveillance plane, it added, calling the incident “an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel”.

The department said the Australian government had “expressed its concerns” to China over the incident.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that “without Chinese permission, the Australian military aircraft deliberately intruded into the airspace around China’s Xisha Islands”, Beijing’s name for the Paracel Islands.

“China’s measures to expel the aircraft were legitimate, legal, professional and restrained,” Guo said.

He added that Beijing had “lodged solemn representations” with Canberra to demand an end to “infringements and provocations”.

‘Potential for significant damage’

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the flares passed within 30 metres (100 feet) of the aircraft, which typically carried around nine people.

No one was injured but Marles said the move posed the “potential for significant damage”.

He told Sky News that officials had voiced their displeasure with their Chinese counterparts in Canberra and Beijing.

The rebuke coincided with the arrival of three Chinese navy vessels in waters northeast of Australia’s mainland.

Defence department officials said a Chinese frigate and a cruiser had been spotted near Australia’s “maritime approaches” with a supply tanker in tow.

Marles said it appeared to be unrelated to the aircraft incident but the Australian navy had sent its own frigate to shadow their voyage.

“Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, just as we expect others to respect Australia’s right to do the same,” the defence department said.

“Defence will continue to monitor the activities of the task group in Australia’s maritime approaches with a combination of capabilities, including air and maritime assets.”

String of incidents

The mid-air incident is the latest in a string of episodes between China and Australia in the increasingly contested airspace and shipping lanes of Asia.

A Chinese fighter jet was accused of intercepting an Australian Seahawk helicopter in international airspace last May, dropping flares across its flight path.

In 2023, a Chinese destroyer was accused of bombarding submerged Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in waters off Japan, causing minor injuries.

The divers had been sailing on an Australian navy frigate, the HMAS Toowoomba, tasked with supporting sanctions enforcement efforts in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

“Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner,” the defence department said on Thursday.

“For decades, the (Australian Defence Force) has 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.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during the bilateral meeting with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Australia’s Prime Minister confirmed on September 7 he will visit China later this year after talks with China’s premier, who said Beijing was ready to resume bilateral exchanges after years of friction.

The announcement by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of a Southeast Asia summit in Indonesia came after a years-long break in relations over political and economic issues including Chinese sanctions on Australian imports.

“I… confirmed the invitation from President Xi,” Mr. Albanese told reporters after talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, adding he “will visit China later this year at a mutually agreeable time”.

The trip would be the first to China by an Australian Prime Minister since 2016.

Mr. Li told Mr. Albanese China was ready to work with Australia to resume exchanges in different areas, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, without mentioning specific areas.

He said the Asia-Pacific region was the shared home of both countries and Beijing would work with Australia to safeguard peace and stability in the region, according to Xinhua.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing welcomed the planned visit and that “a healthy and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples”.

Mr. Albanese thanked President Xi Jinping for the invitation and said his talks with Mr. Li were “constructive” and “positive”, adding the two countries needed more dialogue to improve relations.

“This was an important meeting. I told Premier Li that we would continue to cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest,” he said.

Mr. Albanese last met Mr. Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in November.

Australian delegation in China

Australia sent a delegation of industry, government, academic, media and arts representatives to Beijing on Thursday for talks with their Chinese counterparts.

Such exchanges were stopped in 2020 and their resumption is the latest sign of a thaw.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said last week those renewed discussions illustrated “another step towards increasing bilateral engagement and stabilising our relationship with China”.

China was angered by Australia’s legislation against overseas influence operations, its ban on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from 5G contracts, and its call for an independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But relations appear to have warmed since the centre-left government in Canberra adopted a less confrontational approach to China following Mr. Albanese’s election victory last year.

However, issues remain in the relationship.

Australia expressed “deep concerns” last month about the “ongoing delays” in the case of an Australian academic jailed in China on espionage charges.

Chinese-born Australian Yang Jun has been jailed since 2019 and said in a note shared with friends and family last month that he feared dying in prison if he did not receive medical attention.

Beijing said it was handling his case properly, and that it was “a country ruled by law”.