The federal government says it will not be intimidated by the dangerous actions of a Chinese aircraft towards an Australian surveillance plane in the South China Sea last month.
File photo: A Chinese Navy formation during military drills in the South China Sea in 2017. Photo: STR / AFP
The Department of Defence revealed a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft flew close to an RAAF P-8 maritime surveillance plane on May 26 during a routine patrol in international airspace.
Defence says the Chinese plane released flares while flying closely alongside the Australian plane, before cutting in front of the P-8 and releasing a bag of "chaff" into its flight path, which included aluminium fragments that were sucked into the engine of the Australian plane.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government has raised its concerns about the incident with the Chinese government.
"We are concerned about this incident. We have expressed those concerns through appropriate channels," he said.
"In the Australian Government's view, in the Defence Department's view, this was not safe, what occurred, and we've made appropriate representations to the Chinese government expressing our concern at this."
Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australia will continue its legal operations in the South China Sea.
"This incident will not deter Australia from continuing to engage in these activities which are within our rights at international law, to ensure that there is freedom of navigation in the South China Sea because that is fundamentally in our nation's interests." Marles said.
"Obviously we do not want to see increased militarisation in the South China Sea.
"This is a body of water which is deeply connected to Australia," he said, citing the sea as a key corridor for trade.
"We will not be deterred from engaging in the activities which we are entitled to."
Australia has conducted maritime surveillance activities in the region for decades under Operation Gateway.
Second 'act of intimidation' this year
This is the second time Chinese military forces have engaged dangerously with Australian forces this year, after a Chinese navy ship shone a laser at an RAAF plane in February.
On February 17, RAAF P-8A Poseidon detected a military-grade laser illuminating the aircraft while in flight just north of Australia.
Up to 10 personnel were on board the aircraft when the incident occurred.
The Department of Defence says the Chinese vessel, in company with another People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) ship, was sailing east through the Arafura Sea at the time.
At the time, then-prime minister Scott Morrison described the incident as an "act of intimidation" that put Defence Force lives at risk.
- ABC