What happened when a Chinese ship shone a laser at an Australian plane –and why does it matter?

With the stakes rising and an election looming, Beijing's apparent escalation must be handled firmly but delicately

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Just after midnight last Thursday, a transiting Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy vessel shone a military-grade laser at an Australian air force plane conducting coastal maritime surveillance.

This did not happen in the South China Sea near China's coastline, but rather in the Arafura Sea, within Australia's exclusive economic zone off the country's north coast. From what we can ascertain, this is the closest an attempt at military intimidation by China has gotten to our shores.