Seoul, South Korea –
The Canadian military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing their patrol planes while controlling North Korean sanctions evasion, sometimes forcing Canadian planes to deviate from their flight routes.
On several occasions, from April 26 to May 26, Air Force Liberation Army (PLAAF) aircraft approached a long-range CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft of the Royal Force. Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement on Wednesday. .
“In these interactions, PLAAF aircraft did not adhere to international aviation safety standards,” the statement said. “These interactions are unprofessional and / or endanger the safety of our RCAF staff.”
In some cases, the Canadian crew felt so at risk that they had to quickly change their flight path to avoid a possible collision with the intercepting aircraft, the statement added.
Beijing has not yet commented on the allegations.
These interactions are worrisome and increasingly frequent, the Canadian military said, noting that missions occur during UN-approved operations to implement sanctions on North Korea.
Canadian planes were part of Operation “NEON” in Ottawa, which sees military vessels, aircraft and personnel deployed to identify suspicions of evasion of sanctions at sea, including fuel transfers and other supplies prohibited by Council resolutions. Security Council.
China, which says it has enforced UNSC sanctions, joined Russia last week to veto a U.S.-led proposal for new sanctions on North Korea for its growing missile tests.
“Under the current circumstances, the increase in sanctions will not help solve the problem,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a briefing on Wednesday.
The Chinese and Russian air forces conducted a joint air patrol last week over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Western Pacific, the first such exercise since the invasion of Ukraine by of Russia.
(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Gerry Doyle)