Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused China of an “act of intimidation” after a laser was allegedly aimed at an Australian military plane from a Chinese naval vessel.
Two Chinese naval ships were off the northern coast of Australia on Thursday local time when a laser was pointed at an Australian surveillance plane from one of those ships. “This could have put lives at risk,” the Australian Ministry of Defense said.
“I can only see this as an act of intimidation,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said of the incident. The prime minister called the act “unjustified and unprovoked”.
The Australian Defense Secretary went one step further, calling it a “very aggressive act”. “I think the Chinese government hopes that no one talks about these aggressive acts of intimidation,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
The Chinese authorities have not yet responded to the Australian allegations.
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