Arafura Sea

China’s ship allegedly using laser shone Australia’s air force jet. According to CNN, the Australian military stated that on February 19^th, 2022, China’s act was a “serious safety incident”. They also condemned the act because it was unprofessional and not safe. The incident occurred on February 15^th, 2022 when the P-8A Poseidon flew across the Arafura Sea. The plane said the Australian military flew over the aerial territory of Australia and New Guinea which should not be an issue for Beijing.

The pilot later reported disorienting flashes, spasms, spots in their vision, even temporary blindness after being illuminated by the laser. The Australian authorities said that “These actions could have endangered the safety and lives of the ADF personnel.” “During critical phases of flight when the pilot does not have adequate time to recover, the consequences of laser exposure could be tragic,” a US Federal Aviation Administration document says.

Australia’s military also stated that the laser was pointed by one of the two People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels (PLAN) towards Australia’s jet. It was followed by a picture of both of the Chinese ships released by the Australian military when they were sailing east through the Arafura Sea. It was later known that it was the Chinese destroyer Hefei, a missile destroyer commissioned in December of 2015.

This is not the first time

After the incident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Australia should “seriously consider whether to view China as a partner or a threat.” Military tensions between China and Australia have been on the rise recently, spiked when Canberra entered a pact with the United States and United Kingdom called AUKUS.

This is also not the first incident of a Chinese ship pointing laser towards Australia’s plane. The incident is first known back in 2017. Until 2018, there are 20 reports of laser suspects. In May 2019, an Australian pilot also said they were pointed by laser several times in the South China Sea.