A Royal Australian Air Force surveillance plane was intercepted by a Chinese fighter aircraft in the South China Sea region in May, Australia's defence department said on Sunday.
"The intercept resulted in a dangerous manoeuvre which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew," it said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Chinese jet flew very close in front of the RAAF aircraft and released a "bundle of chaff" containing small pieces of aluminium that were ingested into the Australian aircraft's engine.
"Quite obviously this is very dangerous," Marles told ABC television.
Australia has previously joined the United States in stating that China's claims around.contested islands in the South China Sea do not comply with international law.
Defence said for decades it had undertaken maritime surveillance in the region and "does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace".
Relations between Australia and China, major trading partners, have been strained recently over growing Chinese influence in the Pacific after China sought a regional security.deal with Pacific Island nations.
Also in May, a Chinese intelligence ship was tracked off Australia's west coast within 50 nautical miles of a sensitive defence facility, which is used by Australian, U.S. and allied submarines.
Canada
says China 'buzzing' military flights in Asia
By Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News, Washington
Published
2 days ago
Chinese military aircraft
at an airshow in September 2021
Canadian military aircraft
operating in Asia have been repeatedly "buzzed" by Chinese jets at
dangerously close distances, Ottawa says.
Canada says that its
aircrews have had to alter their path to avoid collisions while operating in
international airspace near North Korea.
It has called the Chinese
behaviour unprofessional and potentially risky.
China has not commented on
the incidents, which Canada says are being addressed diplomatically.
Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau said he took the situation "very seriously" and had
ordered officials to raise it with their Chinese counterparts.
"The fact that China
would have chosen to do this is extremely troubling," he said, according
to Reuters news agency.
In a statement, Canadian
armed forces media relations chief Dan Le Bouthillier said that the incidents
took place during Operation Neon, Canada's contribution to the implementation
of United Nations sanctions against North Korea.
"In these
interactions, PLAAF [People's Liberation Army Air Force] aircraft did not
adhere to international air safety norms," Mr Le Bouthillier said.
"These interactions
are unprofessional and/or put the safety of our RCAF [Royal Canadian Air Force]
personnel at risk."
The Canadian aircraft
involved - CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft - were operating from Kadena
air base in Japan between 26 April and 26 May.
Mr Le Bouthillier added
that in some instances, Canadian aircrew felt "sufficiently at risk"
to quickly modify their own flight paths to avoid potential collisions. Chinese
aircraft were reportedly close enough that their crews were "very clearly
visible".
While it is unclear when
the buzzing incidents took place, Mr Le Bouthillier said that they are
increasingly frequent.
The BBC has reached out to
the Chinese government for comment.
Similar Chinese behaviour
has been reported in the past by Canadian, US and other allied aircraft and
vessels operating in the Pacific.
In 2017, for example,
Chinese jets came within 150 feet (45 metres) of a US aircraft, a move that the
US Air Force called "unprofessional".
Two years later, two
Chinese fighters flew 1,000 feet (300 metres) past a Canadian warship.
A state-owned Chinese
newspaper later described the incident as a "warm welcome" for the
Canadian forces by China's navy and air force.
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