Canadian aircraft harassed by Chinese jets, Ottawa says
Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Chinese fighter jets recklessly intercepted a Canadian military plane in international airspace as it was enforcing United Nations sanctions imposed on North Korea, Ottawa's defense minister said.
The incident happened Monday off the coast of China, according to Global News, which was aboard the Canadian military aircraft on mission as part of Operation Neon.
The Canadian news organization said at least two Chinese jets intercepted the Canadian plane over the course of multiple hours during the more than eight-hour mission, coming within 16 feet of the Ottawa jet.
Defense Minister Bill Blair described the interaction to reporters in a press conference on Monday as "dangerous and reckless" that not only put the men and women of the Canadian armed forces at risk but also their mission.
"I am very concerned with the unprofessional way in which this was done," he said.
"It was quite frankly dangerous and reckless and those types of behavior are not ever acceptable and we will express that to the People's Republic of China in the most professional way."
Operation Neon is Canada's contribution to a coordinated multinational effort to support the implementation of U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea, aimed at forcing the reclusive nation to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons programs.
Blair said that during the execution of Operation Neon, Canadian military aircraft regularly come into contact with Chinese fighter jets, with the "vast majority of those interactions" being "professional" and "fairly safe."
"The interaction that unfortunately took place very recently is one that was not professional and not safe and the actions of the Chinese military in these circumstances I think was unacceptable and put our aircraft and their mission at significant risk," he said.
It also is not the first time Canada has accused China of harassing its planes in Asia.
In June, the Canadian Armed Forces said its Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft was repeatedly harassed by Chinese jets.
"In these interactions, PLAAF aircraft did not adhere to international air safety norms," Ottawa's defense ministry said in June.
"These interactions are unprofessional and/or put the safety of our RCAF personnel at risk. In some instances, the RCAF aircrew felt sufficiently at risk that they had to quickly modify their own flight path in order to increase separation and avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft."
Western nations have repeatedly accused Chinese aircraft of acting unprofessionally in international airspace.
In late May, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command accused a Chinese fighter jet of performing an aggressive maneuver while intercepting a U.S. aircraft.
"The PRC pilot flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the U.S. aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence," it said in a statement. "The RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law."
#USINDOPACOM Statement on #PRC Unprofessional Intercept: "We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law."
Read more⬇️https://t.co/jeAEg1lHXz pic.twitter.com/AvPKRZHCZB— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) May 30, 2023
