Australian Prime Minister Morrison accuses China of intimidating practices. According to the prime minister, a Chinese naval vessel has aimed a laser beam at an Australian military aircraft.
The surveillance plane, a Boeing P-8A Poseidon, was hit by a laser from the Chinese navy on Thursday, according to the Australian army. The aircraft was flying north of Australia at the time. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said the action could have led to life-threatening situations because people could have been blinded.
“This is nothing but an act of intimidation,” the prime minister told reporters. “One that was not provoked by us and is unjust. Australia will never accept such harassment.”
Bullying behavior
Defense Secretary Dutton said it was a “very aggressive act” that happened in the Australian economic zone. “I think China hopes that no one talks about these kinds of aggressive, bullying acts,” he told Sky News. “We’re seeing different forms of it across the region, and in many parts of the world.”
Relations between Australia and China have cooled considerably in recent years, even though they are important trading partners. Australia has, among others, excluded the Chinese telecom company Huawei from the construction of the 5G mobile network. Laws have also been passed against foreign interference.
The Australians also infuriated China by being the first to call for an independent investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, which was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
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