China accuses Australia of covering up South China Sea airspace incursion

In response to Canberra’s earlier allegations that the two countries’ military aircraft were flying over the South China Sea, China has accused Australia of covering up an incursion into Chinese airspace.

Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, stated to reporters on Tuesday that China had “solemn” complained to Australia about what he claimed was Australia’s “attempts to cover up the egregious illegal intrusion of its military aircraft into Chinese airspace.

Jiang argued that an Australian Defense Force statement on Monday “shifts the blame to China” and demanded that Australia “restrain the actions of its frontline naval and air forces, and prevent deteriorating China-Australian relations.”

A day after the Australian government’s ministry of defense issued a statement about an “unsafe and unprofessional” incident on Sunday, in which it claimed a Chinese Air Force fighter aircraft “released flares in close proximity” to an Australian Air Force plane conducting a “maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea,” the response from China’s defense ministry came a day later.

The Australian Defence Force has been conducting maritime surveillance in the area for decades, according to the Australian statement.

Jiang claimed the incident occurred in airspace over “China’s Xisha Islands,” Beijing’s name for the Paracel Islands, but Australia’s statement did not specify where the alleged incident occurred in the South China Sea.

Vietnam and Taiwan also claim the group of islands known as Paracel.

China and Australia exchanged similar accusations in February of this year regarding another incident.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that found its claim to be unsupported by law.

The busy waterway marks one of China’s and America’s diplomatic climes, which include a trade war, US sanctions, and Hong Kong and Taiwan issues. China and several of its neighbors, who claim some of its territory, are also at odds with one another over the South China Sea.

In response to China’s recent restrictions on its own exports, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to sign an agreement allowing Australia to supply rare earth and crucial minerals to the US.

The two leaders also discussed Australia’s agreement with the United Kingdom and the US to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines in accordance with the AUKUS security pact.

After Washington had earlier stated earlier this week that it was reviewing the agreement for at least three Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines signed by former US President Joe Biden, “the submarines that we’re starting to build for Australia are really moving along,” Trump told reporters on Monday.

Following Albanese and Trump’s meeting in Beijing, the Chinese government’s position on the agreement was reiterated.

We “always oppose” creating a “blockbuster,” raising the threat of nuclear proliferation, and bringing on a “arms race,” according to Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs.