China says Australia military planes in South China Sea are a threat

China on Tuesday warned Australia to stop “dangerous and provocative” actions in the South China Sea, saying it recently expelled an Australian air force surveillance aircraft from the maritime region because it had threatened the country’s territorial sovereignty. China said that its military has identified Australian military aircraft in the South China Sea and warned them to leave.   Tan Kefei, spokesman at the Chinese defence ministry, said on Tuesday that Australian military aircraft seriously threatened China’s sovereignty and security and the countermeasures taken by the Chinese military were reasonable and lawful.

The Chinese foreign and defence ministry confirmed that a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) air force fighter jet and an Australian P-8 reconnaissance aircraft were involved in an incident over the disputed South China Sea in May. According to a statement from Canberra released on Sunday, the Chinese J-16 drew alongside the Australian P-8 while the latter was on a routine surveillance mission in international airspace in late May before releasing flares and chaff (metal decoy) that entered at least one of the Australian aircraft’s engines. The interception resulted in a dangerous manoeuvre that posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew, the Australian statement said. Relations between Australia and China have been strained recently over growing Chinese influence in the Pacific after China sought a regional security deal with Pacific Island nations.