Chinese fighter planes intercepted an Australian aircraft in the South China Sea Region during a routine surveillance activity by Australia in international airspace, the department of security said in a news release Saturday.
The intercept resulted in a “dangerous maneuver” causing a safety threat to the Australian RAAF P-8 maritime aircraft and its crew on May 26. Read more: Canada alarmed as Chinese fighter pilots ‘buzz’ Canadian planes over international waters The Australian government says it has raised concerns about the interception to the Chinese government. “Defence has for decades undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace,” the department of defence said.
The incident comes just after multiple sources in the Canadian Forces and the federal government told Global News that Chinese jets were repeatedly “buzzing” a Canadian surveillance plane over international waters that’s part of a United Nations mission.
Since this spring, there have been approximately 60 intercepts with Chinese fighter jets and over two dozen have been dangerous, sources have told Global News.