China Silent on Australia Navy Laser Incident, Morrison Says

  • Canberra claims Chinese navy pointed laser at Australian plane
  • Australian PM called incident an ‘act of intimidation’
A People’s Liberation Army Navy Luyang-class guided missile destroyer, left, and a Yuzhao-class amphibious transport dock vessel leave the Torres Strait and enter the Coral Sea on Feb. 18.Source: Australian Government
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing has yet to formally respond to his request for a “full investigation” into allegations that a Chinese naval vessel last week targeted an Australian defense aircraft with a laser, which he called “an act of intimidation.”

“We haven’t received an explanation as yet,” Morrison said in an interview on Sydney’s 2GB radio on Monday. “This is a dangerous and reckless act. And worse, it can be seen, as I said yesterday, as an act of intimidation and bullying. They were in our exclusive economic zone and they were pointing a laser at an Australian surveillance aircraft.”