{"id":21434,"date":"2022-06-13T17:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T12:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=21434"},"modified":"2022-06-13T18:27:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T12:57:13","slug":"australian-pm-condemns-interception-of-canberra-flights-by-a-chinese-fighter-plane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/13\/australian-pm-condemns-interception-of-canberra-flights-by-a-chinese-fighter-plane\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian PM condemns interception of Canberra flights by a Chinese fighter plane"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the incident where a Chinese fighter plane forced its plane while on routine surveillance into a dangerous maneuver over the South China Sea.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Royal Australian Air Force <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On May 26, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) <\/a>\u201cP-8 maritime surveillance plane was intercepted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft during a routine maritime surveillance activity in international airspace in the South China Sea region,\u201d the Australian Department of Defence told in a report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe intercept resulted in a dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew,\u201d it said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Royal Australian Air Force | Aviationa2z.com<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the presser, Australian <\/a>Defense Minister Richard Marles told, \u201cWhat occurred was that the J-16 aircraft flew very close to the side of the P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft,\u201d Marles told. \u201cIn flying close to the side, it released flares, the J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at a very close distance. At that time, it then removed a bundle of chaff that contains small amounts of aluminum, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft. Quite obviously, this is very scary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese plan showed unprofessional behavior <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But this is not the first time when the Chinese plan showed unprofessional behavior. Last week, Canada accused Chinese air force pilots of unprofessional and risky behavior during encounters with Canadian planes in international airspace, while Ottawa was enforcing UN sanctions against North Korea, reportedly in the East China Sea, Taipei times reported.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at Australian National University, over this incident told, \u201cThe P-8 could have been flying adjacent to a Chinese claimed artificial island over which Australia does not recognize any Chinese entitlement to a territorial sea and, as such, the freedom of overflight would involve. China would counter by saying this is a place where they can assert a legitimate territorial sea and Australian aircraft cannot enter. So the matter could be a simple issue of an Australian versus a Chinese interpretation of the relevant airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet | Aviationa2z.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Euan Graham, a maritime security expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore thinks that China might be testing the resolve of US allies. He further said that Beijing was \u201cmaking life difficult for unarmed surveillance aircraft both from Canada and Australia\u201d but was \u201cnot reacting in the same way to US aircraft when they are doing their surveillance operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, read <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n