China rejects Australia’s claims about aircraft encounter in Yellow Sea

ISTANBUL

China called claims about an alleged unsafe military aircraft encounter above the Yellow Sea with Australia a “distortion of facts,” according to statements reported Saturday by state media.

Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense of China, said an Australian frigate repeatedly deployed shipborne helicopters to conduct close-range reconnaissance near Chinese waters in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, according to Xinhua News.

"These actions constituted continuous provocations and endangered China's national security," said Jiang.

Beijing said the activities were carried out under the pretext of enforcing sanctions under the United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea, but argued that the resolutions do not authorize countries to deploy military assets for surveillance in waters or airspace under another country’s jurisdiction.

China’s statement came after Australia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that Canberra raised concerns to China following an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction" with a People’s Liberation Army–Navy (PLA-N) helicopter.

A helicopter launched from the Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba was intercepted by a helicopter from the People’s Liberation Army Navy on Wednesday while operating in international waters during Operation Argos, according to the Australian Defense Ministry.

Australia said the Chinese helicopter approached at an "unsafe" distance and carried out a maneuver that forced the Australian aircraft to take evasive action.

Canberra said the incident was “unsafe and unprofessional,” though no injuries or damage were reported.