Australia’s defence minister has slammed the Chinese government after one of the communist superpower’s military fighter jets attempted to intimidate an Australian aircraft in international airspace.

The alarming incident involved a Chinese PLA Air Force Su-35 fighter jet releasing flares in ‘very close’ proximity to a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft over the contested South China Sea.

Defence Minister Richard Marles called the manoeuvre ‘unsafe and unprofessional,’ confirming that Australia had raised the matter directly with Chinese officials in both Beijing and Canberra. 

No one was injured during the incident and the RAAF aircraft was not damaged, however, it has prompted outrage in defence and political circles in the nation’s capital.

The area is considered international territory where freedom of navigation should be allowed under UN conventions. The majority of Australia’s trade travels through the South China Sea.

‘Clearly the safety of our Defence Force personnel is paramount here, as of course is the work that they do, which is really asserting the rules-based order,’ Marles said.

‘Having reviewed the incident very carefully, we’ve deemed this to be both unsafe and unprofessional. It’s because of that reason, we are now making this public.’

Marles said there could have easily been a different outcome where Australian personnel might have had their lives put in jeopardy.

The federal government has lodged an official complaint about the incident to the Chinese embassy in Canberra and has also made representations via the Australian embassy in Beijing.

Pressed on how close the flares were released from the Australian plane, Marles declined to specify an exact distance, but said it was ‘very close’.

‘We’re talking about a P8 aircraft … it is a large jet aircraft which is not particularly manoeuvrable in an instant. So the proximity of these flares was unsafe.’  

The Department of Defence said that the Chinese aircraft’s behaviour posed a risk to the Australian aircraft and personnel.

‘Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner,’ a spokesperson said.

‘For decades, the ADF has undertaken maritime surveillance activities 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.

‘All maritime claims must be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.’

The diplomatic row follows a similar incident in 2023.

Australian Navy divers suffered minor injuries after a Chinese warship blasted sonar pulses while they were underwater, an act which was widely labelled reckless by defence officials.