According to the Australian government, a Chinese military aircraft recently deployed flares in close vicinity to a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) plane over the South China Sea, marking a concerning incident.

The Department of Defence revealed that it has communicated its unease to China after an encounter involving a People’s Liberation Army–Air Force (PLA-AF) aircraft and a RAAF P-8A Poseidon, a maritime patrol aircraft, took place yesterday.

In a statement, the department reported that the PLA-AF aircraft had released flares dangerously close to the RAAF plane.

The statement criticized the maneuver as “unsafe and unprofessional,” highlighting the potential danger it posed to both the aircraft and its crew.

Fortunately, no Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were injured, and the RAAF P-8A emerged unscathed from the incident.

“The safety and wellbeing of our ADF personnel continues to be our utmost priority.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the proximity of the flares during what otherwise was a routine exercise made it an “unsafe” situation.

“As it (the RAAF plane) was doing that, a PLA Air Force [jet] came alongside – that, in and of itself is pretty routine,” he told Sky News.

“It released flares, that of itself can be a reasonably standard interaction between two military aircraft.

“But on two occasions, it released flares very close to the [the RAAF plane] and it’s really that, the proximity at which the flares were released, which has given us cause to deem this unsafe and unprofessional.”

The government said it expects all countries, including China, to exercise caution and safety when operating its military.

“For decades, the ADF has undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace,” the statement added.

“All maritime claims must be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

It follows a similar incident earlier this year when another Chinese aircraft dropped flares within 30 metres of an Australian military plane, also in the South China Sea.