Australia says China threatened plane over South China Sea

BEIJING (AP) — Australia says a Chinese fighter jet carried out dangerous maneuvers threatening the safety of one of its maritime surveillance planes over the South China Sea. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government expressed concern to China over the May 26 incident. Australia’s Defense Ministry said a Chinese J-16 intercepted a P-8 Poseidon aircraft on routine patrol in international airspace and forced it to return to the base. Defense Minister Richard Marles said the Chinese jet flew very close to the Australian plane and released flares and a bundle of chaff, which contains small pieces of aluminium that were ingested by the plane’s engines. There was no official response Sunday from Beijing, which claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety.