TEHRAN (Tasnim) – China has accused Canada of breaching its airspace following an in depth encounter between a Canadian surveillance craft and People’s Liberation Army fighter jets earlier this week, calling the incident an “illegal intrusion.”
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Asked in regards to the episode throughout a Tuesday press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning mentioned a Canadian CP-140 Aurora spy aircraft had flown into Chinese territory over the island of Chiwei Yu someday prior, slamming the transfer as a “provocative act”, RT reported.
“What happened was that the Canadian side has sent warplanes halfway around the world to stir up trouble and make provocations at China’s doorsteps,” she mentioned. “The Chinese side responded to the situation in accordance with laws and regulations. The Canadian side should respect the facts and stop spreading disinformation.”
Canadian media retailers have been the primary to report the run-in on Monday, with Global News stating that Chinese fighter jets had intercepted the CP-140 over sea lanes within the East China Sea throughout a sanctions-enforcement mission in opposition to North Korea. A Global News crew was on board the Canadian aircraft on the time of the incident, and the outlet later mentioned a Chinese jet got here inside simply 5 meters of the Aurora.
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair condemned the Chinese army for “dangerous and reckless” maneuvers late on Monday night time, including “those types of behaviors are not ever acceptable and we will express that to the People’s Republic of China in the most appropriate way.”
While Canada’s Major General Iain Huddleston advised reporters that the surveillance aircraft was “solidly in international airspace” throughout its patrol, the Chinese spokeswoman rejected that declare. Instead, she mentioned it had flown over the disputed Diaoyu Islands, that are individually claimed by Beijing, Tokyo and Taipei.
Mao went on to notice that Canadian army plane have carried out frequent “close-in reconnaissance” in opposition to China in recent times, including that such missions are sometimes carried out below the pretext of United Nations resolutions associated to North Korea.
“What needs to be stressed is that UN Security Council resolutions have never mandated any country to deploy forces and conduct surveillance operations in the airspace or waters under other countries’ jurisdiction,” she mentioned. “China is firmly opposed to any country jeopardizing our national sovereignty and security in the name of implementing resolutions.”