Early this week, while flying over the South China Sea, a Chinese fighter jet set off flares in front of an Australian military plane, according to Canberra authorities.
The defense ministry of Australia said that it “expressed concerns” about the “unsafe and unprofessional interaction” to its Chinese counterparts.
Following Tuesday’s incident, the ministry reported that Australia’s P-8A surveillance jet was unharmed and that no one was hurt.
However, China said that the Chinese fighter jet’s response was “legitimate, lawful, professional, and restrained” and that the Australian plane had “intentionally intruded” into its airspace.
In the area, where China’s extensive claims to islands and outcrops coincide with those of its neighbors, this is the most recent in a series of clashes between the two nations’ forces.
