China raises ‘stern protest’ with Australia after midair incident
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Chinese spokesman Jiang Bin said Australia falsely accused China of taking unsafe actions during the midair encounter on Oct 19.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: REUTERS
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BEIJING – China has issued a “stern protest” to Australia after a midair incident over the weekend involving military planes from the two countries,
Australia said its Poseidon surveillance plane was approached by a Chinese fighter jet during a patrol on Oct 19 over the disputed South China Sea. The plane released flares in “close proximity” to the Australian aircraft, endangering the crew on board, the defence department added.
China’s military said on Oct 20 that it had taken “effective countermeasures”, accusing the Australian aircraft of having “illegally intruded” into Chinese airspace over the Xisha Islands, using Beijing’s name for the Paracel Islands.
It was the latest in a string of episodes between China and Australia in the increasingly contested airspace and shipping lanes of Asia.
Beijing’s Defence Ministry chimed in on Oct 22, bashing Australia’s statement, which it said “distorts right and wrong, shifts the blame on China and attempts in vain to cover up the vile and illegal intrusion”.
“We are strongly dissatisfied with this and have raised a stern protest with the Australian side,” said the online statement attributed to spokesman Jiang Bin.
He stated that Canberra “falsely accused” China of taking unsafe actions during the midair encounter. “This fallacy is completely untenable. We urge Australia to immediately cease its infringing, provocative and hype-mongering actions.”
He added that China’s military would “continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty”. AFP
