PLA’s expulsion of Australian warplane violating China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao ‘justified, legitimate, professional’
In response to Australian defense ministry's claim on Thursday that an Australian air force patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with a Chinese Air Force aircraft in the South China Sea on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Thursday that the Australian military aircraft deliberately intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao without China's permission, infringing on China's sovereignty and endangering China's national security, and China's measures to expel the aircraft were legitimate, professional and exercised with restraint.
Military experts told the Global Times on Thursday that measures taken by the PLA Air Force were professional and restrained. Anyone who attempts to provoke trouble in the South China Sea will be met with targeted countermeasures, and their schemes will not succeed.
The Australian statement claimed that on Tuesday, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction" with a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-16 fighter aircraft.
"The PLA Air Force aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft. This was an 'unsafe and unprofessional' maneuver that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the statement claimed. The statement also claimed that "No injuries were sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel nor was damage caused to the RAAF P-8A."
Australia's hype over the Chinese PLA aircraft's so-called "unsafe" interaction reflects its strategic short-sightedness in regional security issues. While collaborating with the US strategy of "maritime containment of China," Australia is also advancing its own selfish agenda. Its actions of infringing on China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao and threatening China's national security, while shifting blame and shirking responsibility, are highly irresponsible and detrimental to the healthy development of bilateral relations, Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"The facts are very clear: the Australian military aircraft intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao, violating China's sovereignty and security. It will definitely be met with expulsion of the PLA, which is a justified action of defense and a legitimate right. No country would tolerate foreign military aircraft intruding into its airspace, and every nation would take corresponding measures in response, applying different levels of interception and countermeasures based on the nature of the provocation," Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Zhang said that certain countries have become accustomed to the tactic of "a thief crying 'stop thief,'" hypocritically accusing China first in order to cover up the truth. Their goal is to dominate international public opinion while diverting attention from their own actions—sending warships and aircraft into the South China Sea, promoting its militarization, and undermining regional peace and stability.
"Australia's consistent approach not only aims to discredit the PLA but also seeks to use public opinion to pressure the PLA into abandoning legitimate self-defense. In other words, Australia wants China to take no action when its military aircraft conduct close-in reconnaissance and other intrusive operations against China. This is pure wishful thinking," Zhang pointed out.
Ding stated that under the banner of "freedom of navigation and overflight," Australia's actions actually serve multiple purposes. First, it aims to challenge China's straight baselines around the Xisha Qundao. Second, it seeks to use reconnaissance aircraft to collect and spy on China's military intelligence in the South China Sea, particularly near the Xisha Qundao. Third, Australia coordinates with the Philippines, Japan, the US, and its own forces in joint patrols or as part of efforts to demonstrate military deterrence against China. Fourth, it engages in provocative maneuvers to test China's naval and air force responses and combat readiness, effectively acting as an auxiliary force for the US.
"Judging from China's response and countermeasures, anyone attempting to provoke trouble, seek attention, or maintain a presence in the South China Sea will face targeted countermeasures, and their schemes will not succeed," Ding said.