Flares fired by Chinese warplane put helicopter crew's lives in danger, Australia says

View In Browser May 8, 2024   Brad Lendon Flares fired by Chinese warplane put helicopter crew's lives in danger, Australia says Australia has accused a Chinese fighter jet of firing flares into the path of a naval helicopter last weekend over international waters of the Yellow Sea, an action that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blasted as "completely unacceptable."   The Australian MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was on patrol enforcing United Nations sanctions on North Korea at the time of the incident, the Defense Ministry in Canberra said, adding the move put the lives of the helicopter crew in danger.   "This was an unsafe maneuver which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the statement from Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said.   The Chinese jet "dropped flares about 300 meters (984 feet) in front of the Seahawk helicopter and about 60 meters (197 feet) above it," Marles said in an interview with CNN affiliate Nine News on Monday.   No damage or injuries were reported, but flares can lead to the downing of a helicopter if they strike and damage its rotor blades, or if they are ingested into its engines.   The incident is the latest in a growing list of confrontations in international waters between China's military and other nations, and it comes as Canberra and Beijing are pursuing a rapprochement following a bruising few years of trade disputes and strained relations.   China defended the action by its military and rejected Australia's claim that the interception was unsafe.   "Under the guise of implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions, Australian warships and aircraft deliberately approached China's airspace to cause trouble and provocation, endangering China's maritime and air security," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a regular briefing.   "As a warning, the Chinese military took necessary measures at the scene. Relevant operations are legal, compliant, professional and safe."   In a separate statement, China's Ministry of Defense said the Australian helicopters were conducting "close reconnaissance" during China's "normal training activities" and called its actions warning them to leave "legitimate." It also accused Australia of "spreading false narratives."   The MH-60 Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter and carries a crew of three, according to the Australian Navy.   The Australian helicopter was operating from the destroyer HMAS Hobart in international waters of the Yellow Sea as part of Operation Argos, Canberra's contribution to a multinational effort to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea, according to a statement from the Australian Defense Ministry.   Albanese called the Chinese actions "completely unacceptable" in a television interview Tuesday.   "They're in international waters, international airspace, and they're doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behavior, are enforced," the prime minister told CNN affiliate Nine News.   "They shouldn't have been at any risk while they engaged in that behavior," Albanese said of the Australian crew.   Albanese said "appropriate diplomatic representations" have been made with Beijing.   "We've just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and that it's unacceptable," he said.   Keep reading about the tense encounter.   More on China-Australia relations: China lifts penalties on Australian wine after more than three devastating years Why Australia keeps an arm's length from South China Sea tensions, even as it draws closer with the Philippines Tough talk Xi Jinping pushed back against allegations of his country's support for Russia's war in Ukraine during meetings with European leaders, as the Chinese leader makes his first visit to the continent in five years amid a period of rising China-Europe tensions spurred by concerns of Beijing's close to ties Moscow.   "China is neither the creator of the crisis, nor a party to it or a participant. But we are also not a bystander, we have always been actively contributing to reaching peace," Xi said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris Monday, following a day of meetings that also included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.   On Monday evening, the Chinese leader arrived to a red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Serbia for the second stop in his six-day visit, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy in the city that killed three.   Read more here. Two killed in hospital knife attack At least two people were killed and another 21 injured in a knife attack in a hospital in China's southwestern province of Yunnan on Tuesday, local authorities said.   The attack took place just before midday at Chengnan Hospital in Zhenxiong, the county's public security bureau said in a statement.   A 40-year-old man was arrested and the case is under investigation, local police said.   Authorities said they do not know the motive for the attack.   The alleged attacker's cousin said he had previously been jailed for three years for injuring others in a dispute over a motorcycle transaction, according to the state-owned Henan Daily.   "Before he was imprisoned, his character was still good. He used to behave well. But after he came out…he felt that he had been wronged," the cousin was quoted as saying.   The report has since been deleted from Chinese news platforms, where censors routinely scrub content.   Another report from the Cover News, a state-owned media outlet, confirmed the suspect was sentenced to three years in jail for "intentional injury" in 2013, citing a court document.   China, where private gun ownership is illegal is for most civilians, has faced a spate of mass stabbings in public places in recent years.   Read the full story here.   — From CNN's Xiaofei Xu, Simone McCarthy and Shawn Deng Trips surge, but average spend drops  China has reported a surge in tourism during the just concluded Labor Day holiday, but travelers cut back on their spending, in a sign that consumption in world's second largest economy remains sluggish.   Tourists made a total of 295 million trips within mainland China during the five-day-long holiday, which ended on Sunday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Monday.   That was 28% more than the number of trips taken during the Labor Day holiday period in 2019, which lasted only four days. Months later, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic struck China and the world, largely shutting down travel.   This year's Labor Day tourism revenue was 166.89 billion yuan ($23.6 billion), only 13.5% higher than the 2019 level.   That means tourists spent less money per trip compared to five years ago, as their average spending dropped 6% to 565.73 yuan ($80).   There was a similar pattern at China's box office.   During the holiday period, 37.77 million people went to the cinema, exceeding 2019's 35.09 million.   But ticket sales were about the same as 2019 levels, reaching 1.527 billion yuan ($215.7 million).   Chinese consumers have curtailed spending as the economy weakens and job prospects worsen. A record downturn in real estate, which accounts for 70% of household wealth, is weighing on consumer sentiment.   "[Chinese] consumer sentiment appears shaky judging by the sluggish retail sales spending momentum and the sharp reversal in the April services PMI," analysts from TD Securities said in a recent research note.   — From CNN's Laura He Around the region The number of vacant houses in Japan has surged to a record 9 million – more than enough for each person in New York City – as the East Asian country struggles with its ever-declining population. These three men are reshaping India's bid to become an economic superpower. A star player for Malaysia's national soccer team is in "critical but stable condition" after an acid attack left him with fourth-degree burns, officials said. Nintendo says it plans to announce the followup to its popular Switch console by March 2025. An Instagram-famous Japanese convenience store near Mount Fuji has apologized to customers for its unconventional response to overtourism. Meanwhile in China, travelers who got stuck up a mountain due to holiday overcrowding clung to a cliffside rope for more than an hour. What did you think of today's email? Send us feedback: meanwhileinchina@cnn.com   You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for Meanwhile in China. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or sign up to manage your CNN account   Learn more about the CNN app |  Get CNN web alerts  |  Sign up for a free CNN account   ® © 2024 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. 1050 Techwood Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30318