On February 11, a Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) J-16 fighter jet dangerously intercepted a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8 Poseidon, which was conducting a flight in international airspace over the South China Sea. According to an official statement from the Canberra government, the Chinese aircraft deployed flares just 30 meters from the Australian maritime patrol aircraft, posing a high risk of serious damage if any of them struck its structure.
Regarding the incident, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles stated in an interview with local media: “The J-16 was so close that there was no way to guarantee that the flares wouldn’t hit the P-8 (…) If any of those flares had hit the P-8, it definitely would have had the potential to cause significant damage to that aircraft.”
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun provided his own account of the event, defending that the PLAAF J-16 acted in a “legitimate, lawful, professional, and restrained” manner. The spokesperson also claimed that the fighter jet’s maneuver was a response to an incursion by the P-8 Poseidon into the airspace over the Paracel Islands, whose sovereignty is disputed by China.
It is important to highlight that after taking evasive maneuvers, the RAAF P-8 Poseidon did not suffer any damage from the Chinese fighter jet’s dangerous maneuver, nor did any of its crew members—usually composed of nine personnel. The incident with Chinese forces marks the first reported by Australia in nearly nine months, during which trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries had improved compared to previous periods of heightened tensions.
In relation to this, it is worth recalling that in 2024, a Chinese J-10 fighter carried out dangerous interception maneuvers against a Royal Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter in a very similar manner, deploying flares in the trajectory of the targeted aircraft to drive it away from an area where the Chinese Navy was conducting exercises. Another notable precedent occurred in November 2023 when a Chinese destroyer dangerously used its sonar against divers from the frigate HMAS Toowoomba off the coast of Japan while they were trying to untangle fishing nets that had become stuck in the ship’s propeller.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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Australia could probably avoid this situation by not flying there, then there would not be any chance of a collision.
Or, china could not violate international treaties and jeopardize the lives of people.