加 “Close-in flight-flare launch threat”
China responds to unauthorized entry into airspace
Concerns about military conflict amid diplomatic conflict
A Chinese fighter jet and a Canadian helicopter came close to colliding over the high seas of the South China Sea. There are concerns that the relationship between the two countries, where diplomatic conflict has intensified in recent years, could escalate into a military conflict.
Canadian CH-148 helicopterAccording to Reuters on the 5th, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair met with reporters on the 3rd and said, “On the 29th of last month, a Chinese fighter jet passed over our military helicopter in the high seas of the South China Sea, causing significant turbulence.” It was also revealed that on the 3rd, another Chinese fighter jet fired a flare (a flash to avoid missiles) right in front of the Canadian military helicopter, forcing the helicopter to quickly change direction. “These maneuvers put the safety of all troops involved at unnecessary risk,” Blair said, adding that he judged the Chinese fighter’s actions to be “substantially unsafe.”
China’s Ministry of National Defense countered by saying that Canada was only reacting by entering Chinese airspace without permission and asking the Canadian military to stop its provocative actions and exaggerated propaganda. In a statement posted on the official social media WeChat account on the 4th, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said, “Recently, a helicopter aboard the Canadian Ottawa frigate made two consecutive flights with unknown intentions, reaching China’s Xisa Islands (Paracel Island). He claimed, “It accessed the airspace of the island’s Chinese name and Philippine name ‘Hoang Sa’.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department official in charge of China diplomacy, who visited China, expressed concern about China’s threats in the South China Sea.
Mark Lambert, the U.S. State Department’s China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, met in Beijing on the 3rd with Hong Liang, Director-General of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Border and Maritime Affairs Department, and expressed the U.S. government’s concerns about China’s “dangerous and illegal actions” in the South China Sea. . Deputy Assistant Secretary Lambert is known to have mentioned the incident in which China intercepted a Philippine supply ship in the South China Sea and flew very close to a U.S. military aircraft.
Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, the United States and China have established a separate communication channel to discuss the South China Sea issue, which is considered the biggest issue in the military relationship between the two countries along with the Taiwan Strait. U.S.-China communication channels are gradually expanding. The two countries will hold a climate negotiation special envoy meeting on the 4th to 7th and a nuclear disarmament meeting on the 6th.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.