China accuses Australia of provocation in SCS
BEIJING—China accused Australia on Friday of deliberately provoking it with a maritime patrol in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) this week, saying the latter was spreading “false narratives,” though Australia maintained its action adhered to international law.
The incident, in which Australia’s defense minister said a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) J-16 jet released flares within 30 meters (100 feet) of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft, comes amid ties strained by navy and air force interactions that Australia has called dangerous.
Friday’s comments came a day after Australia flagged “unsafe and unprofessional” actions by the jet toward the patrol which it said was on routine surveillance in international waters on Tuesday, an account Beijing disputes.
“Australia deliberately infringed upon China’s rights in the South China Sea and provoked China, yet it was the villain who complained first, spreading false narratives,” said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Chinese defense ministry.
Asserting the rules
Zhang accused the Australian military aircraft of ignoring the main routes in the busy waterway, saying it “broke into the homes” of others, and adding that China’s response was reasonable and a legitimate defense of sovereignty.
“We urge Australia to abandon its illusion of speculation and adventure,” Zhang said.
He urged Australia to restrain its front-line naval and air forces, instead of “stirring up trouble” in the South China Sea to the detriment of others and itself.
Before the Chinese comments, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, “We regard this action as unsafe. We’ve made that clear.”
Defense Minister Richard Marles said the Australian aircraft was in international airspace, adding, “There was no way that the pilot of the Chinese J16 could have been able to control where the flares then go.”
