In some cases, Chinese warplanes have come so close that Canadian planes have had to change course to avoid a collision, the Canadian Armed Forces said on Wednesday.
“During these interactions, PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force) aircraft did not comply with international air safety standards. These interactions are unprofessional and / or jeopardize the safety of RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) personnel, ”said Dan Le Butille, Chief of Media Relations for the Canadian Armed Forces.
Canada claims that the alleged clashes occurred in international airspace during the last iteration of Operation NEON, Canada’s contribution to the imposition of sanctions against North Korea. No specific dates are given, but meetings are said to be becoming more frequent.
Chinese planes sometimes approach so close that their flight crew was “very clearly visible” to Canadian aircraft personnel, Le Butilier said.
The Canadian aircraft involved is a long-range CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft operating from Kadena Air Base in Japan. Le Butilier said the plane took off from the base in Okinawa from April 26th to May 26th.
Canada has taken the issue with Beijing through diplomatic channels, Le Butilier said.
CNN asked Chinese officials to comment.
The Canadian Global News was the first to report on the alleged meetings.
Canadian flights as part of Operation NEON are looking for “suspicious activities to avoid maritime sanctions, in particular the transfer from ship to ship of fuel and other goods prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions,” Le Butille said.
“These sanctions, imposed between 2006 and 2017, are aimed at putting pressure on North Korea to abandon its weapons of mass destruction program and respond to North Korea’s nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.
Over the years, there have been other close encounters between Chinese and foreign military aircraft.
The worst of these happened in 2001, when a Chinese fighter jet collided with a US Navy reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea.
In this case, the pilot of the Chinese F-8 fighter died and the American plane had to make an emergency landing on the Chinese island of Hainan. The 24 members of the American crew were detained on the Chinese island for 11 days before their release.
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