The government has labelled a Chinese pilot's actions as wrong and unsafe, after a Chinese fighter jet released flares within 30m of an Australian military plane.
The Department of Defence has confirmed no personnel were injured, with roughly a dozen on board the RAAF P-8A Poseidon — a maritime surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.
The incident occurred in the highly contentious South China Sea — one of the world's most contested waterways.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the government lodged an objection with the Chinese government after the incident on Tuesday.
"We then go through a process of raising our objections with the Chinese government, which we did during the course of Wednesday and Thursday," he told ABC News Breakfast on Friday.
"It's important that you get your facts straight when you make an attribution of this kind, and we don't do it lightly, but we do do it when Australian personnel are put in danger."
A RAAF P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Credit: Australian Defence Force
"The Australian military airplane deliberately intruded into China’s airspace over Xisha Qundao without China's permission," spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
"Such a move violated China's sovereignty and undermined China’s national security.
"The Chinese side took legitimate, lawful, professional and restrained measures to expel the airplane."
Labor minister rejects violation claim
Labor frontbencher Jason Clare hit back at China's claim, arguing Australia has a right to be in the region.
"It is international airspace. I know this is contested but that is international airspace. The actions of that Chinese pilot were wrong," he told Channel Seven's Sunrise on Friday.
Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley also described the Chinese pilot's actions as dangerous and "totally unacceptable".
"If a flare had been ingested into the engine it could have had devastating consequences," she told Sunrise.
"Australians need to know that the Australian aircraft and Australia are in the right and this Chinese jet is in the wrong."
Opposition critical of Labor's handling of events
Ley then asked the education minister to explain why the government waited two days before making the incident public.
"This happened on Tuesday, no statement was made to parliament which we have just risen from, no statement at all," she said.
"Where was the prime minister on this?"
Clare said Labor followed due process, urging Ley to stand with the government in solidarity.
"We make statements in accordance with advice from the defence officials who help to keep this country safe, and we shouldn't be having a political fight about this," he said.
"We come together and send a message to China."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has since spoken about the incident and was asked if he would make a phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"We have made representations through our normal diplomatic channels. We regard this action as unsafe. We have made that clear. We have made it public as well as in private," he told reporters.
Chinese warships
Meanwhile, the Australian Defence Force is separately monitoring three Chinese warships off the north-east of the country's coast.
The Chinese Navy task group is made up of a cruiser, frigate and full supply tanker.
Marles said the craft are legally allowed in the Coral Sea, but that the government will monitor their movements.
"Those ships are abiding by international law, so they are within their rights to be there, but we're also within our rights to monitor them," he said.
"And whenever this mission is over, we will assess it to understand exactly what the Chinese were trying to achieve."
