“Now Australians are engaging in important work enforcing UN Security Council sanctions and in doing that work, we’re operating on the high seas in accordance with international law in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“And we expect that when we have interactions with other militaries, including with the Chinese military that those interactions are professional, and safe. This incident was completely unacceptable.
“We have expressed our concerns to the Chinese government formally in relation to this incident. HMAS Hobart continues in its work in enforcing those UN Security Council sanctions.
“When you look at the speed at which fighter planes move, at which helicopters move, the reaction time here is measured in a couple of seconds. And the consequences of the flare actually making contact with the helicopter could have been deeply significant, would have put lives in danger.”
Two Navy divers were injured last November after they were subjected to sonar pulses from a Chinese warship during an operation on international waters on HMAS Toowoomba.
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