China warns Australia to stop ‘dangerous’ maneuvers in S China Sea after aircraft interception

China says its military intercepted Australian military aircraft in the South China Sea and "drove it away" as the aircraft threatened the country’s sovereignty and security.

Tan Kefei, a spokesman at the Chinese defense ministry, in remarks on Tuesday, said the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft "ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side."

He said the Australian military aircraft seriously threatened China’s sovereignty and security, terming countermeasures taken by the Chinese military as reasonable and lawful.

In a statement on Sunday, the Australian government said that on 26 May 2022, “a RAAF P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft during a routine maritime surveillance activity in international airspace in the South China Sea region”.

“The intercept resulted in a dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew,” the statement added.

The Chinese military in response organized naval and air forces to identify the aircraft, "issuing a warning to drive it away," Tan said on Tuesday, adding that Beijing “resolutely” opposes Australian military actions in the region.

He rejected claims made by Canberra that the Chinese military had "dangerously” intercepted" the Australian aircraft, stressing that measures taken in response were “professional, safe, reasonable and legal."

He also accused Australia of spreading "false information" and called the actions of the Australian pilots "dangerous and provocative."

Australia says it's not unusual for it to undertake surveillance flights over the strategic waterway, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.

The newly-elected Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Monday denounced the incident, terming China’s actions “an act of aggression and a dangerous act”.

Aircraft interception: China warns Canada, Australia it will not allow any country to infringe upon its sovereignty

China warns Canada and Australia of serious consequences after they accused Chinese warplanes of intercepting their reconnaissance aircraft in the Pacific Ocean.

Relations between China and Australia have strained since 2018 when Australia became the first country to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. from its 5G wireless networks.

Ties with Beijing got even worse during the pandemic after Morrison called for a probe into the origins of the coronavirus, toeing the line of US leaders.

The growing Chinese influence in the Pacific has also added to the intense rivalry between the two sides, especially China's security cooperation with Solomon Islands government.

In a separate row, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau has accused the Chinese air force of taking "irresponsible and provocative" actions against a Canadian aircraft during United Nations (UN) patrols along the border with North Korea.

China responded to Trudeau's comments on Tuesday, calling on Canada to "respect the facts (and) stop spreading disinformation."

"Canadian fighter jets' enemy reconnaissance of China is out-and-out irresponsible and provocative behavior," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing Tuesday.

"China resolutely opposes actions that threaten China's state sovereignty and security under any pretext," he added.

Canada deployed aircraft in Japan for a multinational effort to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea.

Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Many regional countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, are involved in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, in the Pacific Ocean.

While Australia is not among them, it has a long rivalry with China and has in the past joined provocative maneuvers by the United States in the region.

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