China has denied Australian claims that a warship shone a laser at a surveillance aircraft last Thursday, accusing Canberra of spreading false information.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said the information released by the Australian side was “not true”.
Australia’s defence department said on Saturday that a P-8A Poseidon had been targeted by a laser from a People’s Liberation Army vessel while in flight over Australia’s northern approaches.
But Wang said Chinese ships conformed with international law in the high seas.
“We urge the Australian side to respect the legitimate rights that Chinese ships enjoy in relevant waters in accordance with international law, and stop maliciously spreading false information about China,” Wang said.
Australia called it “a serious safety incident” adding “acts like this have the potential to endanger lives”.
Canberra released several images of the two PLA vessels – a Luyang-class guided missile destroyer and a Yuzhao-class amphibious transport dock vessel – which it said were sailing in the Arafura Sea at the time of the incident. Both ships have since passed through the Torres Strait and are now in the Coral Sea.
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