Australia accuses China of shining laser at surveillance plane

The Australian defence division stated the incident was an act of aggression that had the potential to hazard lives.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has known as for a full Chinese language investigation. [File: Issei Kato/Reuters]

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused China of shining a laser at one in every of its surveillance planes, referring to the incident as an “act of intimidation”.

Morrison instructed media on Monday that his authorities had not acquired an evidence from China over the incident that occurred on February 17, which Australia thought of “harmful and reckless”.

He known as for a full investigation from China.

The Australian defence division stated the laser, originating from a Chinese language naval vessel, had “the potential to hazard lives”.

“I believe the Chinese language authorities is hoping that no one talks about these aggressive bullying acts,” Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton stated on Sunday, calling the incident “very aggressive”.

Beijing dismissed the allegations as “not true” and defended the Chinese language ship’s actions as “regular navigation … in keeping with related worldwide regulation”.

A spokesman for China’s defence ministry additionally claimed an Australian P-8 patrol plane had come inside 4km (2.5 miles) of the vessel and engaged in “malicious provocations” that “posed a menace” to security.

“We urge Australia to respect the reliable rights of Chinese language ships in related sea areas in accordance with worldwide regulation and cease spreading false info associated to China,” international ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated at a press briefing on Monday.

China had been accused in 2019 of focusing on Australian plane utilizing military-grade lasers over the South China Sea.

Relations between China and Australia have nosedived in recent times after Morrison known as for an impartial investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which was first reported within the Chinese language metropolis of Wuhan.

China responded by putting tariffs on Australian items price billions of dollars, dragging each nations right into a protracted commerce standoff.

Beijing additionally reacted with fury final 12 months when Canberra joined a trilateral defence pact with the US and the UK that may enable it to amass nuclear-powered submarines, to counter China’s rising navy may within the Asia-Pacific area.