BEIJING: After Ottawa reprimanded Beijing for what it called a second risky midair intercept in two weeks, China accused Canada on Saturday( Nov. 4) of conducting an” malicious and provocative” air patrol over the contentious South China Sea.
Bill Blair, the defense minister of Canada, reported on Friday that on October 29, a Canadian Cyclone helicopter was shot at thrice by Chinese fighter jets, one of which fired flares” directly in front” of the other.
The jet’s behavior” were deemed to be considerably unsafe ,” according to Blair, who described the incident in mid-October after a similar near-miss over another contentious lake close to China.
On Saturday, Beijing responded to Blair’s allegations by claiming that the French helicopter carried out” a malignant and provocative act with ulterior motives ,” according to a defense ministry spokesperson.
Zhang Xiaogang stated in an online speech, using the Chinese title for the Paracels, that” recently, ship-borne planes on Canada’s HMCS Ottawa made two squadrons towards the airspace around China, with mysterious intentions.”
According to Zhang, the People’s Liberation Army of China organized naval and air forces to discover and verify( the ship ) in accordance with the law and issued numerous instructions.
However, he continued,” The Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond, but also took provocative actions like flying at extremely low altitudes.”
Zhang asserted that” afterward, ( Canada ) willfully hyped the event and made accusations and smears against China in the media.”
According to him,” Canada’s steps violated both domestic and international law and put the sovereignty and stability of China in jeopardy.”
In order to avoid accidents at ocean and in the air, we strongly urge the French part to strictly limit the activities of front maritime and air forces.
As part of efforts by the United States and its allies to establish its position as an international waterway, the HMCS Ottawa was traveling through the South China Sea.
China has disregarded an international court’s decision that its claim has no legal foundation and claims to control nearly the entire South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in business pass each year.
Hundreds of ships and aircraft have been stationed by Beijing in the region, and some of them have collided with boats from the Philippines and Vietnam.
Chinese fighter jet buzzed a Canadian Aurora marine patrol aircraft in the middle of October as it worked to impose sanctions on North Korea for ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons tests.
When the Chinese air pressure approached the American plane within 5 meters, Blair described the former actions as” dangerous and reckless.”
Beijing retaliated, claiming that the Aurora aircraft had” illegally intruded into the aircraft” of Chiwei area, which is located in the Senkaku Islands, controlled by Japan and claimed by China.