Australia Accuses Chinese Fighter Jet of Dangerous Maneuver

Australia has accused China of an "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter after one of its warplanes intercepted an Australian Defence Force helicopter on May 4 in international waters.

A People's Liberation Army Air Force fighter jet "released flares across the flight path" of the chopper, the Australian Department of Defence said in a statement the following day.

The MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was operating from the deck of Royal Australian Navy air warfare destroyer the HMAS Hobart, which was patrolling in the Yellow Sea near South Korea to enforce United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

"This was an unsafe maneuver which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the statement said. "Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a professional and safe manner."

The ministry said the interaction had not resulted in any injuries or damage to the aircraft.

The Chinese warplane deployed the flares about 1,000 feet ahead of the helicopter and 200 feet above it. This forced the Australian aircraft to take evasive action to avoid colliding with the flares, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement carried by local media.

The Chinese foreign ministry and Australian Department of Defence did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.

Saturday's incident echoes a similar episode in October involving a Canadian maritime patrol aircraft enforcing North Korea sanctions. Ottawa said the PLAAF jet fired flares, and footage released by Canadian media documented its erratic, up-close maneuvers.

In November, Canberra said a Chinese destroyer had injured Australian navy divers with up-close sonar pings. The Australian frigate the divers were attached to had also been operating in support of North Korea sanctions, reportedly in international waters near Japan.

China accused the U.S. and its allies of stirring up trouble in the East and South China seas, which Beijing considers to be its doorstep.

Though China, one of the U.N. Security Council's five veto-wielding permanent members has supported sanctions meant to curb North Korean weapons programs in the past, Beijing has recently opposed efforts to tighten these or introduce newer sanctions.

"It is the U.N.'s job to enforce these sanctions. So far, not only has China flouted and refused to enforce them, it has attempted to disrupt other nations, such as the U.S., Australia and Canada, from doing their job to enforce the UNSCRs," wrote Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute think tank, on X (formerly Twitter) Monday.