THE dangerous military aircraft encounter between Australia and China this past weekend took a new turn as both sides lodged official protests and blamed each other.
According to Australian officials, the pilot of its navy helicopter Seahawk “took evasive” action to avoid China’s extraordinary use of flares on Saturday and accused Beijing of unprofessional and unacceptable behavior.
Meanwhile, China argued the Australian navy helicopter deliberately flew close to China’s airspace above the Yellow Sea in a provocative manner, which endangered its maritime and air security.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs added the Chinese military took necessary measures to warn and alert the Australian side. Chinese officials also urged Australia to stop the provocations and hype concerning the military encounter to prevent misunderstanding.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected China’s argument and noted the helicopter had been upholding international law as part of a crew of an Australian air warfare destroyer that was enforcing U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
The new round of tensions took place amid efforts to improve bilateral ties between the two countries which led to the easing of trade sanctions on several Australian exports in recent months.
