Alarm over flares, Chinese vessels spotted close to Australia

The Australian Defence Force has sounded the alarm about Chinese warships operating close to Australia as it revealed an Australian navy helicopter has been involved in another dangerous encounter with the Chinese military in the South China Sea.

The ADF said on Thursday that three Chinese vessels – a Jiangkai-class frigate, a cruiser and a replenishment vessel – have been observed operating near north-east Australia, including by passing through the Torres Strait.

While the ships are not breaching international law, the ADF was concerned enough to issue a rare statement about the activity, occurring in Australia’s exclusive economic zone.

The Chinese vessels travelled through South-East Asia, before entering Australia’s maritime approaches.

The Defence Force also revealed that a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was involved in “an unsafe and unprofessional interaction” with a PLA-AF J-16 fighter aircraft on Tuesday while conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea.

“The PLA-AF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft,” the ADF said in a statement.

“This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel.”

No injuries were sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, and no damage was caused to the aircraft.

More to come