Australian Prime Minister: Military incident in China “unacceptable”

STORY: A Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian military helicopter during an unsafe and unacceptable confrontation over the Yellow Sea, Australia said on Monday (May 6).

The Chinese Air Force’s J-10 jet dropped flares over and several hundred meters in front of an Australian MH60R Seahawk helicopter during a routine flight in the Yellow Sea on Saturday (May 4) as part of an operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea, the defense minister said Richard Marles said on Monday evening.

The helicopter, flying from the destroyer HMAS Hobart, dodged the flares. The confrontation posed a danger to the aircraft and those on board, although no one was injured, the Australian Department of Defense said in a separate statement.