Australia accuses China of ‘unsafe’ fighter jet move over South China Sea

An Australian Air Force P-8 Poseidon aircraft performs a handling display during the Newcastle Williamtown Air Show (Ricky Fuller/ADF via AP)

Australia has protested what it described as an unsafe and unprofessional interaction over the South China Sea where a Chinese fighter jet is accused of releasing flares that endangered an Australian military surveillance plane.

A Chinese J-16 fighter jet released flares on Tuesday that passed within 30 metres (100 feet) of a P-8 Poseidon surveillance jet in daylight and in international air space, defence minister Richard Marles said on Thursday.