Chinese fighter jets intercepted an Australian plane in the South China Sea during a routine Australian surveillance operation in international airspace, the security department said in a press release on Saturday.
The interception led to a “dangerous maneuver” threatening the safety of Australia’s RAAF P-8 and its crew on 26 May.
Read more: Canada is alarmed when Chinese fighter pilots “buzz” Canadian planes over international waters
The Australian government has said it has expressed concerns about the set-off to the Chinese government.
“Defense has been undertaking maritime surveillance activities in the region for decades and doing so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and flight into international waters and airspace,” the defense ministry said.
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The incident comes just after a number of sources in the Canadian forces and the federal government told Global News that Chinese planes have repeatedly “buzzed” with a Canadian plane to monitor international waters, which is part of a UN mission.
There have been approximately 60 interceptions of Chinese fighters since this spring, and more than two dozen have been dangerous, Global News sources said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke, saying his government would turn to interception reports directly with Chinese officials to ensure it was not part of an “escalation problem”.
“We take this situation very seriously,” Trudeau told reporters while speaking at an event at the Siksika First Nation in Alberta on June 2.
Read more: “On” the behavior of the Chinese jet pilot will be raised before the UN Security Council: Jolie
“The fact that China would choose to do this is extremely worrying, so we will discuss it directly with Chinese officials and (government) colleagues and ensure that it does not continue to be part of an escalation model.
– With files from Mercedes Stephenson & Sean Boynton from Global News
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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