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| The P8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft |
After that, the Chinese J-16 fighter flew very close to the Australian patrol plane and released a flare which was eventually sucked in by the Poseidon engine. "The J-16 maneuvered near the P-8A Poseidon aircraft then released a flare which contained small bits of aluminum and some of the pieces were swallowed into the Poseidon's engine, and obviously that was very dangerous," said Richard Marles, quoted by Al Jazeera.
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Fortunately, the P-8A crew responded professionally and swiftly returned to base. Additional information, so far there has been no official statement from China.
In February, an Australian P-8A Poseidon patrol plane was also reportedly harassed by Chinese military activity. It is said that the Chinese Navy ship fired a military-grade laser that interfered with the visuals of the Poseidon pilot. "I see it as an act of intimidation, without reason. And Australia will never accept such an act," said PM Scott Morrison for the 2018-2022 term.
The incident occurred at 12:35 am, when the Luyang Class vessel was sailing through the Arafura Sea, between the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea, quoted from SMH or the Sydney Morning Herald. It said the ship entered Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
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And one of the two Luyang Class vessels is suspected to have lasered the Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon patrol boat. Relations between Australia and China, which are major trading partners, have deteriorated in recent years.
And this is not without reason, after China imposed trade barriers and rejected high-level exchanges, quoted from AP News. That is in response to China's response to Australia imposing rules targeting foreign interference in its domestic politics.
Australia and other countries have also sought to block China's entry into the South Pacific, including by China's signing of a security agreement with the Solomon Islands. Considering that China is intensively building military bases in this region, including the South China Sea.
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The Solomon Islands itself is located less than 2,000 kilometers or 1,200 miles from the coast of Australia. China claims the South China Sea in its entirety as its own, and they are increasing pressure on countries in the region. And once again, one of China's forms of intimidation is building military facilities on artificial islands and "harassing" foreign fishing vessels and military activities there. "Earlier this year.
China has militarized at least three of its island holdings, their forces are equipped with weapons such as anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, laser and jamming equipment," US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral John C. Aquilino reported, quoted by AP News. Allies strongly oppose China's claims by holding patrols and military exercises in the region.