“Reckless and Completely Unacceptable” Safety Incident

Canberra has accused a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warship of pointing a laser at an RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft while the latter was conducting a routine surveillance flight over Australia’s northern approaches.

The Australian DoD said the lasing, which it described as “a serious safety incident,” took place on 17 February when two PLAN vessels – the Hefei (a Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer, and Type 071 (Yuzhao-class) LPD Jinggang Shan – were sailing east through the Arafura Sea. DoD did not specify which vessel directed the laser at the aircraft, but expressed strong condemnation for what it called “unprofessional and unsafe military conduct,” arguing that these actions could have endangered the safety and lives of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel.

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who referred to the action as “reckless and completely unacceptable,” has called for a full investigation into the incident, after his government raised concerns with Beijing.

The P-8A was acting “within international law at all times” while it conducted a “standard flight profile … for a visual investigation of a surface vessel,” noted the DoD, pointing out that the ADF regularly conducts such patrols as part of its integrated and layered approach to surveillance of Australia’s maritime approaches, including in its EEZ. At the time of the lasing, the P-8 was approximately 7.7km from the PLAN vessel, flying at an altitude of 457m, said the department, adding the closest the P-8A flew to the Chinese warship was approximately 4 kilometres.

It also emphasised that no sonobuoys had been used before the PLAN vessel directed its laser at the P-8A. Some were used after the incident, but were dropped in the water “a significant distance ahead” of the PLAN vessel, noted the DoD, while emphasising that Australia “expects all foreign vessels entering our maritime zones to abide by international law, particularly the UNCLOS [United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea]”.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) denied the accusations, claiming the info provided by Canberra “goes against the facts”. Spokesperson Senior Colonel Tan Kefei argued that, while the Chinese warship in question had maintained “safe, normative and professional operations all along,” the P-8A “approached the airspace over the PLA naval fleet with the nearest distance of only 4 kilometres […] Such spiteful and provocative actions by the ADF will undoubtedly result in misunderstanding and threaten the safety of aircraft, vessel and personnel from both sides,” said the spokesperson, urging Canberra to “stop such provocative and risky actions and groundless slander toward China, and avoid negative effects on the relationship of the two countries and two militaries”. The MND also released images showing the P-8A in flight, as well as one of the sonobuoys in the water.

The latest developments, which are expected to further increase regional tensions, come amid rapidly deteriorating ties between Canberra and Beijing over a number of issues.

Gabriel Dominguez in Singapore for MON

PLAN vessels leaving the Torres Strait and entering the Coral Sea on 18 February. (Australian government)