Canada's Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday that a Chinese fighter jet twice flew close to a Canadian Cyclone helicopter over the Paracel Islands on October 29, firing flares "directly in front" of the craft on the second flyby.
The jet's actions "were deemed to be significantly unsafe", Blair said of the incident, which followed a similar near-miss over another disputed waterway near China in mid-October.
Beijing hit back at Blair's claims on Saturday, with a defence ministry spokesperson saying the Canadian helicopter conducted "a malicious and provocative act with ulterior motives".
"Recently, ship-borne helicopters on Canada's HMCS Ottawa made two sorties towards the airspace around China's Xisha Islands, with unknown intentions," Zhang Xiaogang said in an online statement, using the Chinese name for the Paracels.
"China's People's Liberation Army organised naval and air forces to identify and verify (the craft) in accordance with the law, and issued multiple warnings," Zhang said.
"However, the Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond, but also took provocative actions such as flying at ultra-low altitudes," he added.
"Afterwards, (Canada) wantonly hyped the event and made accusations and smears against China in the media," Zhang claimed.
"Canada's actions violated China's domestic laws and international law, endangered China's sovereignty and security," he said.
"We urge the Canadian side... to strictly curb the actions of frontline sea and air forces to prevent accidents at sea and in the air."
The HMCS Ottawa was transiting the South China Sea as part of attempts by the United States and its allies to cement its status as an international waterway.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea -- through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually -- and has ignored an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
Beijing has deployed hundreds of vessels and aircraft in the area, some of which have clashed with Philippine and Vietnamese ships.
In mid-October, Chinese fighter jets also buzzed a Canadian Aurora maritime patrol aircraft helping to enforce UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea in response to its nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches.
Blair had called the latter actions by the Chinese air force -- coming withing five metres (15 feet) of the Canadian plane -- "dangerous and reckless".
Beijing hit back, accusing the Aurora plane of having "illegally intruded into the airspace" of Chiwei island, which lies in the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, claimed by China.
Canada slams China over second 'unsafe' aircraft intercept in two weeks
Ottawa (AFP) Nov 3, 2023 -
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair on Friday slammed Chinese fighter jets' second "significantly unsafe" intercept in two weeks of Canadian aircraft patrolling the Pacific.
Blair said at a news conference that a Chinese fighter jet on October 29 twice flew close to a Canadian Cyclone helicopter near the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and on the second flyby fired flares "directly in front" of the helicopter.
There was "little separation" between the fighter jet and the helicopter, he said.
"The actions of the People's Republic of China fighter jet were deemed to be significantly unsafe, and we'll express our concerns to the People's Republic of China about that."
The helicopter and HMCS Ottawa were in the South China Sea as part of US and allied "freedom of navigation" crossings to reinforce the status of the body as an international waterway.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
China's assertiveness in the South China Sea via deploying hundreds of vessels and aircraft to the area, which has led to recent clashes with Philippine and Vietnamese ships, has become a growing concern for Washington and its regional allies.
Washington recently accused Beijing of orchestrating a "concerted" campaign of dangerous and provocative air force maneuvers against US military planes flying in international airspace in the region, warning such moves could spark inadvertent conflict between the two powers.
In mid-October, Chinese fighter jets also buzzed a Canadian Aurora maritime patrol aircraft helping to enforce UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea in response to its nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches.
Blair had called the latter actions by the Chinese air force -- coming withing five meters (15 feet) of the Canadian plane -- "dangerous and reckless."
Beijing hit back, accusing the Aurora plane of having "illegally intruded into the airspace" of Chiwei island, which lies in the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, claimed by China.
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