Beijing has ramped up criticisms of Australia over a tense military encounter over the South China Sea on Sunday, accusing the ADF of distributing “twisted and absurd propaganda” and “provoking” China.
The federal government revealed on Monday that a Chinese fighter jet had released two flares dangerously close to an Australian P8 surveillance plane near the Paracel Islands, labelling the actions “unsafe and unprofessional”.
No Australian crew members were injured and no damage was done, Defence Minister Richard Marles said.
China’s Southern Theatre Command rejected that account yesterday, accusing Australia of “violating China’s sovereignty” and saying Australian forces had “intruded” into “China’s airspace”.
But Defence Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin issued a more forceful statement this morning, describing the actions of the fighter jet as “lawful, legitimate, professional, and restrained”.
“Australia’s infringement and provocations were against China, yet its false accusation that China’s actions to defend its rights are ‘unsafe’ and ‘unprofessional’ is a twisted and absurd argument that holds no water anywhere,” he said.
“We urge Australia to immediately cease its infringing provocations and inflammatory propaganda, strictly restrain the actions of its frontline naval and air forces, and avoid damaging China-Australia bilateral and military relations.”
Clash of world views
The statement was trending on Chinese social media site Weibo with nearly 2 million views on Wednesday morning.
It is the latest in a string of encounters between the Australian Defence Force and the Chinese military, which has deployed flares and released chaff near Australian aircraft before, as well as deploying sonar when Australian navy divers were in the water.
Western Sydney University School of Law associate professor Lowell Bautista said the statement from China’s defence ministry was among the “strongest public protests” about Australia’s patrols in the South China Sea seen in recent years.
He said China’s description of Australia’s actions as “provocative” and “absurd” propaganda reflected Beijing’s growing assertiveness in its perceived sphere of influence.
China claims ownership of the Paracel Islands near Vietnam, but it remains disputed territory under international law. (ABC News: Jarrod Fankhauser)
“This kind of rhetoric is part of a broader pattern in China’s strategic communications — signalling displeasure, asserting control over the narrative, and deterring what it views as foreign military presence in contested waters,” Dr Bautista said.
“It is also intended for a domestic audience, reinforcing China’s position as defending sovereignty and national dignity,” he said.
Dr Bautista said he did not expect the incident to derail China and Australia’s “fragile” relations because both sides had strong incentives to prevent such exchanges from escalating.
He said this incident was not simply a military encounter, but a “clash of legal and strategic world views”.
“Australia sees these patrols as routine operations under international law; China sees them as provocations,” he said.
A spokesperson for Defence Minister Richard Marles declined to comment.
