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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) — The Chinese military's recent action to expel an Australian P-8A military aircraft from Chinese airspace was justified, legal, professional and restrained, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said on Wednesday, adding that the Chinese side has made stern representations to the Australian side.
He made the statement in response to media inquiries about the recent incident and comments from Australia.
Forces from the People's Liberation Army's Southern Zone Combat Command (SZCC) on Sunday dislodged an Australian P-8A military aircraft that illegally entered Chinese airspace over the Xisha Islands without permission from the Chinese government.
The Southwest Coast Command deployed naval and air force units to escort, track, respond decisively, warn and dislodge the Australian aircraft in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
However, Australian defence authorities said the actions were "unsafe and unprofessional".
The Australian side's statement distorts the facts and shifts blame to China in an attempt to cover up the illegal intrusion of its military aircraft, Jiang Bin said, expressing strong dissatisfaction with this move and adding that the Chinese side has made stern representations to the Australian side.
Stressing that the Australian side's unfounded arguments are completely unfounded, the official representative of the PLA called on Australia to immediately cease violations and provocations, stop distorting and exaggerating the incident, and strictly control its naval and air forces so as not to damage the relations between the two countries and their armed forces.
The Chinese armed forces will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, and firmly maintain peace and stability in the region, Jiang Bin said.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.