Australia: "Chinese Warship Fires Laser Beam at Australian Air Force Aircraft"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] It has been reported that a Chinese naval vessel fired a laser beam at an Australian Air Force aircraft.

According to Taiwanese media such as Liberty Times on the 20th, the Australian Department of Defense stated that on the 17th, a Chinese naval vessel fired a laser beam at an Australian Air Force anti-submarine patrol aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon.

The Australian Department of Defense said in a statement that their anti-submarine patrol aircraft was flying over the runway of an airport in northern Australia, and claimed, "This act is a serious safety threat incident."

They added, "Such actions can endanger lives," and "We strongly condemn this unprofessional and unsafe military behavior."

The Australian Department of Defense explained that at the time of the incident, the Hefei, a Type 052D missile destroyer belonging to the South Sea Fleet that fired the laser, was sailing through the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait north of Australia along with the Jinggangshan, a Type 071 amphibious assault ship, heading toward the Coral Sea near Queensland.

Although the laser beam is not a direct attack, it can pose a significant threat to flight safety. In 2018, laser beams were repeatedly fired at U.S. military aircraft from the Chinese base in Djibouti, northeastern Africa, resulting in two U.S. military personnel aboard a U.S. C-130 transport aircraft sustaining minor eye injuries.

Meanwhile, Australia and China have been experiencing conflicts over issues such as the investigation into the origin of COVID-19 and security matters. Relations between the two countries began to sour in 2018 when Australia excluded the Chinese telecommunications equipment company Huawei from its 5G mobile communications project for security reasons, and worsened further after Australia requested an international investigation into the origin of COVID-19 in 2020, blaming China for the spread of the virus.

Last October, in response to China's trade retaliation such as the suspension of Australian coal imports, Australia joined the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics led by the United States in December last year, and conflicts between the two countries continue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.