Australia’s defense department said on Monday that a Chinese fighter jet released flares dangerously close to an Australian Air Force aircraft that was conducting patrols over the South China Sea.

澳大利亚国防部周一表示，其空军的一架飞机在南海上空执行巡逻任务时，一架保持危险接近距离的中国战斗机释放了照明弹。

The incident occurred as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia was scheduled to meet with President Trump in the White House for the first time later on Monday. Australia is trying to navigate between its close alliance with the United States and its economic dependence on China, its largest trading partner.

事件发生之际，澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴尼斯原定于周一晚些时候在白宫与美国总统特朗普举行首次会晤。澳大利亚正努力在与美国的紧密同盟关系，以及对其最大贸易伙伴中国的经济依赖之间寻求平衡。

The South China Sea incident is the latest confrontation in a region where China has been asserting its growing military power. That has alarmed Australia and forced it to take a hard look at its heavy military dependence on the United States.

这起南海事件是该地区最新的一次对峙。中国近年来在这一地区不断彰显其日益增长的军事实力，引起了澳大利亚的警觉，并迫使其重新审视在军事上对美国的高度依赖。

Australia doubled down on that dependence by signing a nuclear submarine deal with the United States and Britain during the Biden administration. The Trump administration said in June that it was reviewing whether the deal was aligned with Mr. Trump’s America First agenda.

在拜登政府执政期间，澳大利亚通过与美国和英国签署核潜艇协议，进一步加深了对美国的军事依赖。而特朗普政府在今年6月表示，正在审查这项协议是否符合特朗普提出的“美国优先”议程。

For years, Australia, the United States and Canada have accused Chinese fighter jets of flying dangerously close to their aircraft and performing other unsafe maneuvers. China, in turn, has accused the three countries of conducting patrols that threatened China’s security.

多年来，澳大利亚、美国和加拿大一直指责中国战斗机在其军机以危险接近距离飞行，并采取其他不安全的操作。中国则指责这三个国家的巡逻行动威胁到了其国家安全。

The incident on Sunday appeared to fit a similar pattern.

周日发生的这起事件似乎符合类似的模式。

Australia’s Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday that a Chinese Su-35 fighter jet had released flares near a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft on Sunday. The statement said the incident occurred while the Australian aircraft was conducting a maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea.

澳大利亚国防部周一在一份声明中表示，一架中国苏-35战斗机在澳大利亚皇家空军的一架P-8A“波塞冬”海上巡逻机附近释放了照明弹。声明称，事件发生时，澳大利亚飞机正在南海执行海上监视巡逻任务。

“This was an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver that posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel,” the defense department said, adding that it had expressed its concerns to the Chinese government.

“这是一种不安全且不专业的动作，给飞机及机上人员带来了风险。”澳大利亚国防部表示，并补充说已就此事向中国政府表达关切。

China’s Southern Theater Command Air Force said in a statement that the Australian aircraft had entered China’s airspace over the Paracel Islands — a disputed cluster of islands on the western edge of the South China Sea to which Vietnam and Taiwan have claims — without permission.

中国南部战区空军在一份声明中表示，澳大利亚飞机未经许可进入了中国西沙群岛上空的领空。西沙群岛位于南海西部，由一些存在领土争议的岛屿组成，越南和台湾也对其提出了主权主张。

Chinese forces mobilized to track and warn off the Australian aircraft, the statement said, adding that Australia’s actions had “seriously violated China’s sovereignty.”

声明称，中国军队出动力量对澳大利亚飞机进行跟踪并发出警告，指出澳大利亚的行为“严重侵犯中国主权”。

At his White House meeting with Mr. Trump on Monday, Mr. Albanese is expected to attempt to position Australia as an alternative supplier of rare earth minerals for the United States. Earlier this month, China moved to limit the supply of those metals — a move that underscored the value for the United States of having close allies like Australia to help counter China’s influence.

预计在周一与特朗普的白宫会晤中，阿尔巴尼斯将试图把澳大利亚定位为美国稀土矿物的替代供应国。本月早些时候，中国采取措施限制这些金属的供应，凸显了澳大利亚这样的亲密盟友对美国的价值，它们可以帮助抵消中国的影响力。

Mr. Albanese is also expected to seek to gain leverage on trade talks and a renewed commitment to the submarine deal.

阿尔巴尼斯还预计将寻求在贸易谈判中获得更多筹码，并争取让美国政府重新承诺推进潜艇协议。

In February, a group of Chinese navy ships made an unannounced voyage around Australia. While the ships’ actions were legitimate under international law, the voyage marked the farthest south the Chinese military had ever ventured and raised alarm in Australia.

今年2月，一支中国海军舰队进行了环绕澳大利亚的航行，此次行动未事先通报。虽然该行动在国际法框架下是合法的，但此次航行标志着中国军方舰艇展开了南下最远的行动，引发了澳大利亚的警觉。