BEIJING, May 7 -- "The operations of the Chinese side are legitimate, reasonable, professional and safe, and are fully in line with the international law and international practice. Australia's statement confuses right and wrong and shifts the blame. We're firmly opposed to that," said a Chinese defense spokesperson on Tuesday.
Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks when rebutting the claims made by Australian defense minister Richard Marles saying that Chinese fighter jet's interception of an Australian helicopter in the international waters of Yellow Sea on May 4 was "a very serious incident."
According to Zhang, a Chinese naval fleet conducted training in relevant waters of China's Yellow Sea from May 3 to 4, during which the Australian guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart dispatched a ship-borne helicopter for three times to conduct close-in reconnaissance and disturb the normal training activities of the Chinese side.
The spokesperson noted that the Chinese troops sent a vocal warning to the Australian helicopter and conducted legitimate, reasonable, professional, and safe operations to expel it, which are fully in line with the international law and international practice.
"We urge the Australian side to truly respect China's sovereignty and security concerns, cease spreading false narratives, strictly constrain the operations of its naval and air forces, stop all dangerous provocations, and avoid undermining the overall relationship between the two countries and the two militaries," stressed the spokesperson in the end.
记者：澳大利亚国防部称，5月4日一架澳海军直升机在黄海国际水域执行任务时遭中国军机拦截。澳防长马尔斯对此表示，这是十分严重的不安全事件。请问有何评论？
张晓刚：澳方所言颠倒黑白，倒打一耙，我们对此坚决反对。5月3日至4日，中国海军舰艇编队在中国黄海相关海域训练期间，澳大利亚“霍巴特”号导弹驱逐舰3次派舰载直升机对中方正常训练活动进行抵近侦察滋扰，中国军队对其喊话警告、外逼驱离，相关操作正当合理、专业安全，完全符合国际法和国际实践。我们要求澳方切实尊重中方主权安全关切，停止散播虚假叙事，严格约束海空兵力行动，停止一切危险挑衅行径，以免破坏中澳两国两军关系大局。
