Doorstop Interview, Canberra

SUBJECT/S: Unsafe and unprofessional interaction with People’s Liberation Army–Air Force

ACTING PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: So yesterday afternoon, a Royal Australian Aircraft P-8 plane, was doing a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea- it was in international airspace, above international waters. And at that time, a PLA-Air Force, Chinese Air Force, Su-35 fast jet came up alongside, that of itself is pretty routine. The Chinese Air Force plane then released flares again, that of itself can be a standard form of interaction between two military aircraft. But then, on two occasions, it released flares very close to the Australian P-8 aircraft. Having reviewed the incident very carefully, we've deemed this to be both unsafe and unprofessional. Now, let me be completely clear that our air crew are safe, and the plane was able to land perfectly safely, and it has not been damaged in any way. But we have sought, now, in instances of this kind, to have a very set procedure. So firstly, we are making the incident public. Secondly, we have advocated or raised this issue with the Chinese Embassy here in Canberra, and we have also made representations via our embassy in Beijing. Now our utmost concern will always be for the safety and welfare of the Australian Defence Force personnel, in this instance who are flying the Australian P-8. And we will also continue to undertake activities which assert the rules based order because the rules based order, and in this instance, freedom of navigation in the air and on the sea is fundamental to Australia's national interest. I reiterate that the majority of Australia's trade goes through the South China Sea, so it is profoundly important that the rules operate.

JOURNALIST: Minister, when you say unsafe and unprofessional when they released the flares was it into the path of the P-8 Poseidon which would make it particularly dangerous?

MARLES: Look, the flares were released very close to the P-8 plane. No damage was done, but it was dangerous, and it was unsafe, and inherent in that is that there could have been a different outcome. And it's because of determining it to be both unsafe and unprofessional that we are now making this public and going through the very set procedures that we do when this occurs.

JOURNALIST: How close is very close?

MARLES: Look, we're not putting that distance out there, but it was very close, and as a result it was unsafe. 

JOURNALIST: Was it a distance where the pilots would not have been able to take evasive action?

MARLES: Look, it was, we're talking about a P-8 aircraft. So it's not a- I mean, it is a large jet aircraft which is not particularly manoeuvrable in an instant, and the proximity of these flares meant that it was unsafe.

JOURNALIST: Why do you think that this happened now, and do you think it has anything to do with the timing of the Prime Minister's meeting with President Trump?

MARLES: Look, I'm not going to speculate on that, other than to say, I mean, this has clearly happened before, so it's on the first occasion on which we've seen this, and that's why we have a very set procedure that we go through in instances of this kind. And from our point of view, what's really important is that there are very clear communications and very clear behaviours in this moment. We will continue to operate our Defence Force in a manner which asserts the rules based order in the South China Sea and in international waters and in international airspace that is critically important to Australia's national interest, and in doing that, we will always have the utmost regard for the safety of Australia's Defence Force men and women.

ENDS