mkater Command soars in the sky during a flight training exercise on October 23, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhao Yutong)" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-12-02/8cff757a-4c48-44b5-a45e-ef57422c1929.jpeg" />

A J-16 multi-role fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade with the air force under the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command soars in the sky during a flight training exercise on October 23, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhao Yutong)

 
China and Australia held the 23rd China-Australia Defense Strategic Dialogue in Beijing on Monday, with the two sides exchanging in-depth views on relations between the two countries, their militaries, regional security and other issues of common concern, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of National Defense.

The dialogue was co-hosted by General Xu Qiling, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Department under China's Central Military Commission (CMC), Air Marshal Robert Chipman AO CSC, Vice Chief of the Australian Defense Force, and Hugh Jeffrey, Australian Deputy Secretary of Defense Strategy, Policy and Industry Group.

The two sides agreed to continue strengthening strategic communication in the defense field, properly handle disputes and differences, and carry out exchanges and cooperation, the statement said. 

Australia's defense news platform Defence Connect hyped that this dialogue was held against the backdrop of Australia claiming that an Australian air force patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with a Chinese Air Force aircraft in the South China Sea recently. 

Australia has been hyping up the PLA's expulsion of an Australian warplane. Against such a backdrop, it shows that it is important for timely military communication to avoid misjudgments, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"This kind of dialogue provides an opportunity for Australia to understand where the boundaries and limits lie, and where China will undoubtedly make a firm response," Chen said. 

In response to the Australian defense ministry's claim that an Australian air force patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with a Chinese Air Force aircraft in the South China Sea on February 11, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on February 13 that the Australian military aircraft deliberately intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao without China's permission, infringing on China's sovereignty and endangering China's national security.

The Australian statement claimed that on February 11, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction" with a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-16 fighter aircraft.

"The facts are very clear: the Australian military aircraft intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao, violating China's sovereignty and security. It will definitely be met with expulsion by the PLA, which is a justified action of defense and a legitimate right. No country would tolerate foreign military aircraft intruding into its airspace, and every nation would take corresponding measures in response, applying different levels of interception and countermeasures based on the nature of the provocation," Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times in an earlier interview on February 13. 


"The latest China-Australia defense dialogue is aimed at avoiding miscalculations. However, Australia is continuously coordinating with the US to meddle in Asia-Pacific affairs," Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Australia should deeply recognize its own position: it is an Oceanian country, not an Asian country, and it should clearly define its own stance and not follow the US in creating trouble in the Asia-Pacific region, Song said.  

"If Australia wishes to cooperate with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, it is welcome. But if it intends to assist the US in confronting certain countries within the region, this is unacceptable," Song added. 

The China-Australia Defense Strategic Dialogue is a high-level forum between the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Australian Department of Defence, established in 1997. It was last held in 2019.