China has accused Australia of distorting the facts and using inflammatory rhetoric after a mid-air clash between the states’ military planes and urged Canberra not to disrupt bilateral relations.
Beijing made “stern statements” to Canberra after it said a Chinese jet intercepted an Australian patrol plane in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manner over the South China Sea on Sunday and that a PLA-AF Su-35 fighter jet “launched flares in close proximity” to the RAAF plane.
Australia’s statement “misrepresents the facts and falsely accuses China of trying to cover up the illegal intrusion of its military aircraft into Chinese airspace,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Wednesday.
In comments on Tuesday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles dismissed claims of a breach. He said the P-8A Poseidon was on “a routine maritime surveillance patrol that happened in international airspace, over international waters, and at all times our crew complied with international law.”
China is Australia’s largest trading partner, and the two governments have only recently patched up relations that have soured sharply during the pandemic. The US is Australia’s closest security ally and as tensions between Washington and Beijing escalate, Canberra is struggling to strike a balance between the two.
“We call on the Australian side to immediately stop provocations and inflammatory rhetoric, strictly limit frontline naval and air forces, and avoid undermining China-Australia bilateral and military relations,” the Chinese military said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese traveled to China three months ago and this week visited the US where he agreed to a critical minerals deal aimed at helping Western firms shift away from Chinese supplies of rare earths.
China’s strong response and accusations highlight rising military tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. Marles had previously characterized it as the most difficult strategic circumstances Australia had faced since the Second World War.
Australia is also in the midst of a major military expansion, including the planned acquisition of a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus pact with the US and UK.
Still, the government remains confident it can manage the tensions, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers telling Bloomberg on Tuesday that “it is possible to deal with the Americans as we have been and continue to stabilize while investing in this very important relationship with China.”
With help from Catherine Wong.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
