Australia has demanded that China investigate an incident that occurred in waters off the country’s north coast. The incident consisted of the alleged use of a laser to illuminate an Australian jet. Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated on Monday that he called to Chinese government to explain how dangerous and reckless the act was, and its potential harm to the Australian jet. Mr. Morrison stated that he has not received answers as to why the Chinese navy pointed the laser. Mr. Morrison also explained how a similar event could happen to another country in the region that is simply performing routine surveillance of their own Exclusive Economic Zone.
As of yesterday, Chinese authorities had not yet responded to Mr. Morrison’s questions. However, at a regular briefing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that the Chinese navy was abiding by international law at the time of the incident. China claimed that the information released by Australia was untrue, and that the navigation of Chinese ships on the high seas conforms to relevant international law.
Read More: Australia demands answers from China over alleged laser incident at sea