Australian and Chinese relations are strained following an incident involving military forces from both countries. During a routine operation in the Yellow Sea, within international waters, an Australian helicopter faced an aggressive manoeuver by a Chinese military jet.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australian and Chinese relations have been strained following a recent incident involving military forces from both countries. During a routine operation in the Yellow Sea, within international waters, an Australian helicopter faced an aggressive maneuver by a Chinese Air Force plane. The Australian Seahawk helicopter, operating from HMAS Hobart as part of Operation Argos—which supports the enforcement of UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea—encountered flares dropped by the Chinese aircraft. These flares, deployed both in front of and above the Australian helicopter, posed a significant risk, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal collision.

The incident has prompted calls for diplomatic intervention, with some suggesting that the Prime Minister should directly communicate Australia's concerns to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Although the Prime Minister has not confirmed a personal dialogue with President Xi, official statements indicate that "strong representations" have been made to China at various levels. Further, it is expected that Australia will clearly outline its position during the upcoming visit of the Chinese Premier to Australia.

This is not the first instance of hostility between the two nations in recent months. In November, another encounter involving the Australian Navy and a Chinese warship resulted in minor injuries to Australian divers, due to sonar pulses. These series of incidents have escalated concerns regarding China’s increasingly aggressive posture towards Australia. Despite previous signs of diplomatic progress, including a visit by the Prime Minister to Beijing and the easing of trade tariffs, the security relationship between Australia and China remains tense.

The recent flare incident underscores not only the ongoing military tensions but also casts doubt on the stability of bilateral relations. While trade relations have shown signs of improvement, the recurrent aggressive interactions in the defense domain highlight a complex and challenging aspect of the relationship with China.



Australia hits out at China over helicopter incident

Enjoying some country hospitality, as hostility from China hits home. It's unprofessional and unacceptable. On Saturday, HMAS Hobart was in the Yellow Sea and international waters, as part of Operation Argos, Australia's contribution to enforcing UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea. An Australian Seahawk helicopter was doing a routine flight from the ship, when a Chinese Air Force plane dropped flares in front of it and on top of it. The helicopter narrowly avoided being hit by the flares. I think the Prime Minister needs to pick the phone up frankly and speak to the Chinese President, President Xi, and express our deep concern. The Prime Minister wouldn't say whether he'd made the call. We have made very strong representations at every level to China. He did say he'll make Australia's position clear when the Chinese Premier visits next month. Overnight in France, the Chinese President Xi Jinping made this assessment of the global climate. The world today is far from peace. The flare attack is the second incident in seven months. Australian Navy divers suffered minor injuries from sonar pulses from a Chinese warship in November. I think we should be concerned. It certainly is a continuation of China's aggressive behaviour against Australia. This is a clear intention to fire flares, which could have been ingested into the helicopter's engines and could have resulted in fatality. So it is really, really significant. The Aberdeenshire Government has previously insisted Australia's relationship with China is stabilising. And the evidence has been the Prime Minister's visit to Beijing last year and the lifting of trade tariffs, including on Australian wine. But this incident suggests the security side is as fraught as ever. No matter how much we try to stabilise with China and trade with them, our actions and our policies are not going to prevent them from behaving in this way. Ashley Raber, for Dairnews First.

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