Australia lodges protest as Chinese fighter jet releases flares 'close' to its plane

ANI
20 Oct 2025, 15:08 GMT+10

Canberra [Australia], October 20 (ANI): Australia on Monday lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing after a Chinese jet fighter released flares close to an Australian surveillance plane in the South China Sea.

As per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, this is the latest in a string of encounters between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Chinese military.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said that nobody was harmed, but said the Chinese action was 'unsafe and unprofessional'.

Marles was cited as saying by the ABC news that an Australian P-8 surveillance plane was conducting a routine patrol over the South China Sea when it was approached by a People's Liberation Army fighter jet.

Marles said Australia was deliberately publicising the encounter with the PLA as part of the government's broader strategy in response to dangerous behaviour by China's military.

Last month, a Canadian frigate and an Australian destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait, prompting protests from Beijing, China's state-run media had reported.

Chinese military forces surveilled the transit, according to state-run Global Times.

The transit 'sent wrong signals and heightened security risks, and the theater's forces remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability,' Global Times reported, citing a statement from the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command spokesman Senior Col. Shi Yi.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington DC, on Monday. (ANI)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Broadcast Communications.

More Information

Business

Section

Microsoft, OpenAI pour millions into teacher AI training push

SAN ANTONIO, Texas: Tech giants are pouring millions into training U.S. teachers on artificial intelligence, forging an unusual alliance...

‘Battlefield 6’ breaks franchise record with blockbuster debut

REDWOOD CITY, California: Electronic Arts' latest blockbuster, Battlefield 6, has shattered franchise records, selling over seven million...

Google Cloud, Adtalem team up on AI training for clinicians

CHICAGO, Illinois: Adtalem Global Education said it will partner with Alphabet's Google Cloud to launch a first-of-its-kind AI credential...

Nestlé tops sales estimates in first quarter under new CEO

VEVEY, Switzerland: Nestlé beat sales forecasts in the third quarter, offering a boost to newly appointed CEO Philipp Navratil as the...

Trump says Modi promised to end Russian oil buys; India refutes

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump said on October 15 that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally assured him India...

Beijing targets South Korean firm amid Trump’s shipyard revival plan

HONG KONG: China's Commerce Ministry said this week that it is banning Chinese companies from doing business with five subsidiaries...

Sectors - Broadcasting

Section