Australia has formally raised concerns with China after what it described as an “unsafe and unprofessional” aerial encounter between military helicopters over the Yellow Sea earlier this week.

According to Australia’s defence department, the incident occurred on Wednesday when an aircraft from the Australian Defence Force was conducting a routine patrol over international waters. During the flight, a helicopter from the People's Liberation Army Navy approached and intercepted the Australian aircraft.

Officials said the Chinese helicopter first matched the altitude of the Australian aircraft before rapidly closing the distance between the two. It then accelerated and rolled toward the Australian helicopter, forcing the Australian crew to take evasive action to avoid a potential collision.

Australia’s defence department condemned the manoeuvre, saying it posed a direct safety risk.

“This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to our aircraft and its personnel,” the department said in a statement.

Canberra noted that the Australian aircraft was operating as part of an international mission enforcing sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council against North Korea. These patrols are aimed at monitoring maritime activity linked to sanctions violations.

Despite the tense encounter, officials confirmed that no injuries were reported and both aircraft departed the area safely.

The incident adds to a growing list of confrontations between Australian and Chinese military forces in the region. In October last year, Australia also accused China of unsafe conduct after a Chinese fighter jet released flares near an Australian maritime patrol aircraft during another operation.

Such encounters have increasingly highlighted rising military tensions in the Indo-Pacific as regional forces operate in close proximity during surveillance and enforcement missions. Photo by Frost Nova from Australia, Wikimedia commons.