Chinese fighter jets carried out ‘unsafe’ action near RAAF plane: Marles
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Defence Minister Richard Marles said a Royal Australian Aircraft P-8 plane was doing a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea on Sunday afternoon, when it was approached by a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Su-35 fighter jet that released flares, two of them "very close" to the P8.
The context: Marles said that the action of the PLA-Air Force jet was “unsafe and unprofessional” and that Australia has lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing over the incident.
The RAAF crew did not sustain any injuries and the aircraft was able to land safely, Marles explained, but the Albanese government "have sought, now, in instances of this kind, to have a very set procedure. So firstly, we are making the incident public. Secondly, we have advocated or raised this issue with the Chinese Embassy here in Canberra, and we have also made representations via our embassy in Beijing."
“Our utmost concern will always be for the safety and welfare of the Australian Defence Force personnel, in this instance who are flying the Australian P-8.”
When asked by reporters how close the Chinese jets came to the RAAF plane, Marles did not provide specific details but noted that the P-8 aircraft is a large jet “which is not particularly manoeuvrable in an instant, and the proximity of these flares meant that it was unsafe.”
When asked whether he thought that the incident could have anything to do with the timing of the Prime Minister's meeting with US President Trump later on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), Marles declined to speculate.
“From our point of view, what's really important is that there are very clear communications and very clear behaviours in this moment. We will continue to operate our Defence Force in a manner which asserts the rules based order in the South China Sea and in international waters and in international airspace that is critically important to Australia's national interest.”
The source: Richard Marles doorstop transcript
