China jet fires flares near Australian P-8A in South China Sea

A Chinese military fighter jet released flares near a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance plane on Sunday over the South China Sea, an encounter Canberra described as an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and its crew. Australia lodged a formal diplomatic protest and said no injuries or damage occurred.

The Department of Defence said the incident involved a People’s Liberation Army Air Force Su-35 and occurred while the Australian P-8A was conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in international airspace above international waters. In a statement the department said the PLAAF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF aircraft and that the behaviour "posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel." Defence officials said they had expressed concerns to their Chinese counterparts and reiterated that Australia expects all countries to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the flare release as "not only unsafe and unprofessional, but ... highly risky," and said Australia would continue to assert its rights to overflight and freedom of...