As tensions grow in the South China Sea, a Chinese naval ship fired a laser at an Australian warplane, according to a devastating report.
On Thursday, the Australian Defense Department said that a Chinese military vessel lasered the country’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft while in flight over the Arafura Sea.
Military-grade laser beams present a serious problem to aircraft pilots, as they can injure or temporarily blind them.
Australia says China warship fired laser at its patrol plane: ‘unsafe and unprofessional’ https://t.co/padsm5WApG pic.twitter.com/gLLhYcFptY
— New York Post (@nypost) February 21, 2022
“Illumination of the aircraft by the Chinese vessel is a serious safety incident,” the Defense Department said in a statement. “We strongly condemn unprofessional and unsafe military conduct. These actions could have endangered the safety and lives of the ADF personnel.”
The department also said that the Chinese ship was accompanying another vessel as it sailed through the Torres Strait.
John Blaxland, professor at the Strategic and Defense Studies Center, Australian National University, warned that China’s act is the “closest an attempt at military intimidation” within Australia’s shores.
“With the stakes rising, and an election looming, there is a need for issues like this to be handled firmly, but delicately,” Blaxland wrote, urging the government to address the issue.
During an interview on Monday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded Beijing explain the Chinese ship’s behavior.
“This was reckless. It was dangerous, and at worst, it was intimidating and bullying. And so they’re the ones who need to explain, not just to Australia, but [to] all the countries in our region,” said Morrison.
“It could occur to anyone else who is just simply doing the normal surveillance of their own Exclusive Economic Zone. And to be confronted with that, I think, is just absolutely unacceptable. There’s no excuse for it.”
China, however, has denied Australia’s claims, calling it a “provocative” show of behavior and maintains that its navy acted professionally at all times.
This comes amid the ongoing territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region where China has been accused of asserting its military might to its neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Two years ago, the U.S. reported of a similar incident where a Chinese ship fired a laser at one of its Poseidon planes over the Pacific.
