China Warns Australia to Stop Military Provocations in South China Sea
© AP Photo / Zha Chunming
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BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has warned Australia to cease dangerous provocations near its borders, Chinese Defence MInistry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Tuesday, after an Australian warplane was intercepted collecting intelligence above a disputed territory in the South China Sea.
Australia's Department of Defence said on Sunday that an Australian maritime surveillance aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet during a routine maritime surveillance activity in international airspace over the South China Sea on 26 May. The Australian ministry described the interception as a "dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew."
"On 26 May, an Australian maritime surveillance aircraft RAAF P-8 entered China's airspace near the Xisha archipelago for surveillance activities. It ignored the multiple warnings of the Chinese side and continued approaching the airspace of the Xisha archipelago", Tan said in a statement.
The spokesman noted that the Australian plane "posed a serious threat to sovereignty and security of China," adding that the actions of the Chinese military were "professional, safe, rational, and lawful".
In this Sept. 3, 2015, file photo, Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles, potentially capable of sinking a U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in a single strike, pass by Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing. China’s military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including a “carrier killer” military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack U.S. forces, a newspaper reported Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.
© AP Photo / Andy Wong
China is urging Australia "to immediately stop this kind of dangerous provocative actions and strictly limit the actions of its naval and air forces, otherwise it will be responsible for all the serious consequences", Tan said.
A similar incident happened last week when a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a Canadian airplane participating in a United Nations mission to enforce sanctions against North Korea. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the actions of the Chinese military irresponsible and provocative. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian, in turn, accused Canada of abusing UN Security Council Resolutions to boost close-up reconnaissance near China.
The Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands and the Hoang Sa Archipelago, are part of territories disputed among China and several other countries of the region. China and Vietnam claim legal sovereignty over the Xisha islands, but Beijing de facto controls them.
