Confrontation with RAAF jet part of China’s war planning, say experts

The Defence Minister has revealed details of an aggressive confrontation with the Chinese air force last month, an act described as “directed by Xi Jinping himself”.

An incident which saw a Chinese fighter pilot fly aggressive manoeuvres around an Australian P-8 surveillance plane in international waters has been described by security experts as a “dangerous and deliberate act” that would have been authorised at the highest levels in Beijing.

On Sunday it was revealed that on May 26 an RAAF maritime surveillance aircraft flying in international airspace over the South China Sea was confronted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said that the Chinese fighter flew close to the side of the Australian surveillance plane flew “very close to the side of the P-8”, releasing decoy flares as it did so.

“In flying close to the side, it released flares,” Mr Marles said, describing the incident.

“The J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at very close distance.

A Chinese J-16 fighter jet.

A RAAF P-8A Poseidon aircraft of the sort confronted by the Chinese People's Liberation Air Force in May.

“At that moment, it then released a bundle of chaff, which contains small pieces of aluminium, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft.

“Quite obviously, this is very dangerous.”

Mr Marles added that Australian aircraft was brought safely back to base by its crew who responded “professionally and in a manner which would make us all proud”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sunday that the Australian government had “expressed … concerns through appropriate channels,” however experts said that the incident was part of a worrying pattern of escalation by the Chinese military.

“This incident with the Chinese fighter aircraft using flares and even more dangerously flying in close in front of the P-8 and dispensing chaff is a deliberately very dangerous military act and there is no way this would not have been authorised at the highest levels in Beijing,” said Michael Shoebridge, Director of the Defence, Strategy, and National Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

“Aggression like this can easily cause death, and there is no way the Chinese pilot would not have known that.”

Deputy PM Richard Marles held a press conference in Geelong regarding an incident with a RAAF patrol flight and a Chinese jet fighter in the South China Sea. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

“This sort of behaviour would be directed by Xi Jinping himself, who has told his forces to use interactions in peacetime to prepare for war.”

Another national security source said that the incident showed that China was behaving like a “renegade province” when it came to following the rules of engagement with foreign vessels and aircraft, saying that “even at the height of the Cold War when tensions between the Americans and Soviets were at their peak treaties and rules of engagement to avoid collisions were still observed”.

Senator Jim Molan, who has frequently raised the alarm about Australia’s need to be more prepared to confront the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party, said the incident was “an example of the intimidation and coercion that has sadly become typical of China and the CCP.”

“In the past this had resulted in near death incidents and reflect China’s lack of respect for international law … democracies cannot afford to back off,” he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping at the commissioning ceremony of three naval vessels, the Changzheng-18, the Dalian, and the Hainan. Picture: CGNT

The incident in May is only the most recent aggressive act by the Chinese military against other nations.

On the same day the Australian plane encountered the Chinese aircraft, Canadian pilots enforcing sanctions against North Korea were also aggressively confronted by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force over the Pacific.

In that incident, Canadian pilots had to quickly change course to “avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft”.

In February, it was reported that a vessel belonging to the Chinese Navy shone a powerful laser at an RAAF plane conducting surveillance exercises within Australia’s own exclusive economic zone.

Last year, a Dongdiao class spy ship spent three weeks cruising past some of Australia’s most sensitive military installations.