RAAF now being routinely challenged by Beijing in South China Sea
Date February 3, 2016 - 7:57PM
David Wroe National security correspondent
Photo: A People's Liberation Army J-11 fighter on exercises over the South China Sea. Photo: China Military Online
Australian air force patrols flying over the South China Sea are now being routinely challenged by the Chinese military in a sign of the growing stranglehold Beijing has over the strategically vital waters.
The Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies, said on Wednesday that Australian surveillance patrol flights over the regional flashpoint had increased "slightly" and the RAAF would continue doing so as was its right under international law.
In a wide-ranging interview, Air Marshal Davies also said the RAAF would be stretched if asked to carry out sustained bombing raids in Libya on top of the campaign in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State terror group.
Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Those remarks came after Washington flagged the need to tackle the Islamic State's growing presence in Libya and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she would "listen" to discussions about a possible greater coalition effort in the oil-rich, north African country. But Ms Bishop reiterated that Australia was already making a significant contribution to the fight against Islamic State and it was up to other countries to do more.
Advertisement On the South China Sea, Air Marshal Davies said island-building by Beijing meant the People's Liberation Army had a much greater presence in the area which was being felt by Australian air craft patrolling the area under the long-running Operation Gateway.
"Because the Chinese have done the reclamation, there is a greater Chinese presence," he said.
"What we're now finding is that there are of course multiple outposts now that are manned, so wherever we go on our normal Gateway patrol, we now find that there is an increasing number of locations where the challenge would occur."
The challenges would come in the form of radio broadcasts warning the Australian planes that they were close to Chinese territory and should move away. He stressed this was normal practice by many countries and said the nature of the challenges had not escalated.
But he said "nearly all" flight were now challenged – something that had not happened in the past.
The increase underscores the fact that China is now actively trying to enforce its claims over wide sections of the vital waters – a source of growing concern to Australian and US defence planners as well as other countries in the region.
China is locked in disputes with several other countries over tiny islands throughout the South China Sea and has sought to buttress its claims by building new islands on which it has installed military-grade runways and docking facilities.
Air Marshal Davies said there had been a "slight increase" in patrols over the South China Sea but only because there had been more to surveil there than the Indian Ocean, where Gateway also operates.
Fairfax Media understands however there has been a deliberate increase to send a signal to China.
Meanwhile after a Rome meeting – which included Ms Bishop – discussed the threat of the Islamic State group in Libya, Air Marshal Davies said that the RAAF could carry out limited operations elsewhere on top of its current air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
But he added: "What I would have some difficulty in giving assurance to would be another contribution the same [size and nature] in another location that could not get synergy from each other."
"If it was a fighter contribution, then that is a tougher ask."
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"If it was a fighter contribution, then that is a tougher ask."
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Cũng vì bè lũ chó má BÁN NƯỚC cầu vinh việt cộng đã ký văn tự BÁN lãnh hải Việt Nam và nhiều phần lãnh thổ của Việt Nam cho tàu cộng nên lũ khốn kiếp việt cộng vẫn tiếp tục ú a ú ớ rồi NGẬM MIỆNG để bọn tàu cộng ngang nhiên CHIẾM Biển Đông, đã và đang là nguy cơ cho cả thế giới .
Bè lũ chó má việt cộng trước sau cũng chỉ là những thằng thái thú cai trị dân Việt cho tàu cộng, cái gọi là đại hội đảng CƯỚP thứ 12 của bè lũ việt cộng vừa qua đã chứng minh cho toàn thế giới THẤY RÕ bản chất chó má của bè lũ BÁN NƯỚC cầu vinh việt cộng .
Ngày nào bè lũ chó má việt cộng còn ngồi trên đầu dân Việt, nước Việt Nam coi như đã MẤT, dân Việt Nam chỉ là những con vật, chỉ có miệng ăn, không có miệng nói, chỉ được nói những gì lũ chó má việt cộng cho phép nói, nói khác là PHẢI vào tù.
ĐAU NHỤC cho dân tộc Việt vào thời đại văn minh điện tử có bè lũ chó má BÁN NƯỚC DIỆT CHỦNG việt cộng ngồi trên đầu .
Những kẻ mang danh "tranh đấu" cho "tự do", "dân chủ", "nhân quyền" cho Việt Nam nhưng vẫn BÁM GẤU, vẫn tin vào bè lũ chó má việt cộng giờ này vẫn CHƯA MỞ MẮT?
Tóm lại, bè lũ chó má việt cộng đã BÁN NƯỚC cho tàu cộng để giữ QUYỀN LỰC cai trị dân Việt và tiếp tục NGẬM MIỆNG, Dân Việt PHẢI LÀM GÌ là vấn đề thiết yếu cần phải đặt ra .
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Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog".
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .
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Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC
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