A Chinese fighter jet dropped flares in front of an Australian Navy helicopter in international waters, in an incident Defence Minister Richard Marles has condemned as unprofessional and unacceptable.

Channel Nine’s National Affairs Editor Andrew Probyn told Gary Adshead on 6PR Mornings it wasn’t a drawn-out incident, but it doesn’t take long for similar confrontations to escalate.

“I was told by defense sources this could have very nearly been a fatal incident”, Mr Probyn said.

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