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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

Chinese navy destroyer and helicopter shadowed Australian warship during high-profile standoff, documents show

Australian Defence Force Seahawk helicopter prepares to take off from the deck of HMAS Hobart
One email said flares were released ‘within approximately 300 metres of the MH-60R’. Photograph: LSIS Matthew Lyall/AP

An Australian helicopter was flying south-east of China’s Shandong peninsula but outside its territorial waters when a Chinese fighter aircraft released flares in its path, new documents show.

Guardian Australia can reveal that Australia’s HMAS Hobart warship was also being shadowed by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy destroyer and another Chinese helicopter at the time of the 4 May standoff.

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