Australia accuses China of unsafe behavior when fighter jets fired flares into the path of a helicopter

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, left, speaks with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during a meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of Australia and South Korea in Melbourne, Australia, on May 1 2024. (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia has protested to Beijing that a Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian Navy helicopter with flares in international waters, officials said Monday.

The incident occurred Saturday when the Australian air warfare destroyer HMAS Hobart enforced United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea in international waters in the Yellow Sea, the Defense Department said in a statement.

A Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter jet fired flares into the flight path of an Australian Navy Seahawk deployed from the Hobart, 300 meters in front of the helicopter and 60 meters above it, Defense Minister Richard Marles said.

The helicopter pilot had to “take evasive action to avoid being hit by the flares,” Marles said in a statement.

“The consequences of the impact of the flares would have been significant,” Marles said.

Marles said the Chinese interception was “unsafe and unprofessional.”

“We will not be deterred from engaging in lawful activities and activities designed to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea,” Marles added.

There were no injuries or damage, the Defense Department said, adding that the Australian government expressed its concerns to the Chinese government. There was no immediate comment from Beijing on Monday.

It was the most serious encounter between the two nations’ armed forces since Australia accused the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo of wounding Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in Japanese waters in November last year. Australia said China ignored a security warning to stay away from the Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba.

China claims the encounter took place outside Japanese territorial waters and that the Chinese warship caused no damage.

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Australia this year for the first time in a decade as bilateral ties have improved from unprecedented lows in recent years.