Ex military chiefs expect Australia would shoot down a Chinese spy balloon if it flew over the mainland.
Diplomats have raised the Albanese government’s concerns with Chinese counterparts over the spy balloon that flew over the US, as former military chiefs said they expected Australia would alsoForeign Minister Penny Wong indicated the government would “protect our sovereignty”, as the presence of the balloon over the continental US and its downing by an American fighter jet sparked fresh tensions between Beijing and Washington.
China said it raised concerns about security inspections on Chinese companies investing and operating in Australia during the meeting. “This meeting is an important step for us to jointly push China-Australia economic and trade relations back on track.” In his opening remarks, Mr Wang dashed expectations of a speedy end to the trade impasse, saying that Monday’s meeting – the first at ministerial level since 2019 after China ended its freeze on high-level dialogue – was aimed at building trust.
Senator Wong would not be drawn on hypotheticals about whether Australia would shoot down a Chinese balloon, but said the government “will always act to protect our sovereignty and we’ll always encourage other countries to act in accordance with international law”.Former Royal Australian Air Force chief Leo Davies, who retired in 2019, said he had never heard of a Chinese balloon entering Australian airspace.
“After the American experience, if there was one found flying over Australia, we would take it down,” he said.Former Canadian navy chief Paul Maddison said recovering the balloon’s payload could produce a wealth of intelligence for US agencies, including what Chinese companies contribute to Beijing’s military and whether any Western intellectual property was being used.