On Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned China for using a laser against an Australian surveillance aircraft and potentially endangering the lives of the crew on board.
In a press briefing, Morrison said, “I can see it no other way than an act of intimidation, one that was unprovoked, unwarranted, and Australia will never accept such acts of intimidation.” He added that his government would demand answers from Beijing, noting that Canberra had raised the issue via its diplomatic and defence channels.
While speaking with 2GB radio, Morrison said, “If you go and point lasers in the eyes of pilots… then there’s a direct threat to them and their safety; it is a dangerous and reckless act.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese naval vessel that pointed a laser at an Australian defense plane was potentially visible from Australia's mainland, as Canberra demands a ‘full investigation’ by Beijing#China #Australia pic.twitter.com/zPmr6iC41Z
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The incident was confirmed by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) on Saturday, which said a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft had been targeted by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) laser. According to a press release by Australia’s Department of Defence, the Chinese naval vessel deemed responsible for the “dangerous act” was traversing east through the Arafura Sea alongside another Chinese naval vessel on Thursday. “Such actions are not in keeping with the standards we expect of professional militaries,” the statement added on the “serious safety incident.”
Morrison said on radio on Monday his government had not received an explanation from China over the incident last Thursday, considered by Canberra as a "dangerous and reckless act".
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Minister for Defence Peter Dutton also denounced the act, saying, “I think the Chinese government is hoping that nobody talks about these aggressive bullying acts.”
Moreover, the incident is not unprecedented. In 2019, Australia accused China of using lasers against its choppers in the South China Sea.
In sharp contrast, China’s state-controlled newspaper Global Times blamed Australia for the incident and criticised it for falsely accusing the Chinese government. “The Australian aircraft was practising unsafe, provocative reconnaissance on the Chinese ships,” it said.
Global Times quoted Chinese military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping as saying: “Australia failed to tell the public how close its aircraft flew near the Chinese vessels, so people could not tell if the Chinese vessels were forced to take defensive counter-measures.”
Another Chinese analyst said the laser was merely used as a rangefinder to tell distances between objects and does not pose any risk to targets.
Relations between both countries first deteriorated after Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Since then, both countries have been engaged in diplomatic, political, and trade disputes. Furthermore, Australia also entered into a trilateral security partnership, AUKUS, with the United States and the United Kingdom, which was announced in September last year; the alliance is aimed at countering China’s growing influence across the Indo-Pacific. Under the agreement, Australia will be able to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines with the technology shared by partners.