Australian Military Plane Spotted By Chinese Navy Ship's Laser, PM Morrison Wants Full Investigation

PM Australia Scott Morrison. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demands a full investigation by Beijing, after a Chinese Navy ship aimed a laser at an Australian defense aircraft potentially visible from the Australian mainland, as Canberra demands a "full investigation" by Beijing.

PM Morrison said on the radio on Monday his government had not received an explanation from China for last week's incident, which Canberra described as a "dangerous and reckless act".

A Chinese Navy ship inside Australia's exclusive economic zone, aimed a laser at an Australian military aircraft flying over Australia's northern approach, illuminating the aircraft and potentially endangering lives, Australian defense authorities said last weekend.

Australia's P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft detected lasers emanating from a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) vessel, the Ministry of Defense said, releasing photos of two Chinese vessels sailing near Australia's northern coast.

A Chinese guided missile destroyer and an amphibious transport dock were sailing east through the Arafura Sea between New Guinea and Australia at the time of the incident, and then through the narrow Torres Strait.

"Maybe people can even see the ship from our mainland," Morrison told reporters in Tasmania on Monday.

"Australia has called through diplomatic and defense channels for a "full investigation into this incident", he stressed on local radio.

He compared the incident to the hypothetical situation of an Australian frigate pointing a laser at a Chinese reconnaissance plane in the Taiwan Strait, adding: "Can you imagine their reaction to that in Beijing?"

Separately, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment, while Beijing has not publicly commented on the incident.