Overview
- Australia says a Chinese Su-35 closed on a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A and twice released flares on Oct. 19 over the South China Sea.
- Canberra reports the encounter occurred in international airspace and caused no injuries or damage.
- The government lodged a formal protest, calling the action dangerous and unprofessional, and pledged to continue lawful surveillance flights.
- China’s Southern Theater Command said the plane illegally entered Chinese airspace and that its forces tracked, monitored and expelled it.
- Officials and reports note this is the second flare incident involving Australian aircraft this year and that it comes on the eve of a US–Australia leaders’ meeting in Washington.