[The Epoch Times, June 7, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Liang Yao interviewed and reported) A few days ago, a Chinese fighter jet approached a Canadian aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, which was accused of escalating the danger. Guy Saint-Jaques, Canada’s former ambassador to Beijing, said in an interview with The Epoch Times that this shows that the CCP has become aggressive and provocative.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian defended on Monday (June 6) that China was taking “reasonable” actions in response to Canada’s “provocative” actions. Wu Qian pointed out that Canada is strengthening close-range reconnaissance of China, and said that Canada needs to take responsibility for the consequences.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) said in a statement released on June 1 that during its recent involvement in Operation Neon, the Canadian Air Force’s CP-140Aurora long-range patrol aircraft and PLAAF fighter jets Several interactions occurred.
“During these interactions, the PLAAF aircraft did not comply with international aviation safety norms.” In some cases, the Canadian crew “felt so dangerous that they had to quickly modify their flight routes to increase separation and avoid contact with Intercepting aircraft resulting in possible collision”.
On June 3, Guy Saint-Jaques, the former Canadian ambassador to Beijing, called the Chinese military’s actions “reckless” in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“It just shows that China has become aggressive and provocative, which is dangerous,” he told The Epoch Times.
Zhao Pu said this is not the first time the Chinese military has taken aggressive action against foreign ships or aircraft.
Similar to Canada, Australia’s Ministry of Defence said that on June 5, one of its surveillance planes was harassed by a Chinese jet on May 26. The incident occurred in the international airspace of the South China Sea. “(The Chinese aircraft) caused dangerous maneuvers that posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew.”
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles told Australian media that Chinese fighter jets flew in front of the P-8 aircraft and then released “chaff bombs” containing aluminium foil, some of which was sucked into Australia Engine of a military aircraft.
Scott Simon, a professor and chair of Taiwan studies at the University of Ottawa, told The Epoch Times that “[the CCP]is increasingly aggressive beyond its own borders” and must be seen in a broader context.
“Up until the Himalayas bordering India, there is a widespread pattern of (Chinese) aggression everywhere, and this pattern is also emerging, where they build villages inside Bhutan and Nepal. These are very serious,” he said.
Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and a former deputy minister, told The Epoch Times that Chinese pilots harassing Canadian planes may not have come from The pilot’s own thoughts, and there are higher-level people’s thoughts.
“It’s an idea from a higher-ranking person. If you look at China’s (CCP) top-down control, it has to be (leader) Xi (Jinping) and his colleagues, and that’s the direction they’re doing things. “
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week called the harassment by Chinese fighter jets “extremely disturbing” and said he would work with Chinese officials to resolve the issue to prevent an “escalation model.” On Monday, he said again that China’s actions were “irresponsible and provocative.”
The Canadian Air Force Aurora maritime patrol aircraft participated in “Operation Neon”, a surveillance operation by the United Nations to impose international sanctions on North Korea to prevent the country from developing weapons of mass destruction. North Korea was sanctioned by the UN Security Council between 2006 and 2017 over its nuclear weapons program and ballistic missile tests.
The Canadian Department of Defence (DND) has revealed that its CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft were assigned to monitor sanctions from April 26 to May 26, engaging with Chinese fighter jets over what it calls “international airspace”. interactions.
In some cases, Canadian crews have had to modify their flight paths to avoid a potential collision with the Chinese jet, the DND said.
China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that Canada’s aerial reconnaissance was conducted against China “under the pretext of supporting UN resolutions” and called it a “provocation.”
Responsible editor: Tan Ya