Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will address reports of Chinese fighter pilots “browning” Canadian planes over international waters directly with Chinese officials to make sure they are not part of a “climbing pattern.”
Global News first reported citing various government sources that Chinese aircraft have repeatedly flown so close to a Canadian surveillance aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region that Canadian pilots could make eye contact with Chinese pilots, which sometimes they have shown their middle fingers.
“We take this situation very seriously,” Trudeau told reporters as he spoke at a Siksika First Nation event in Alberta on Thursday.
“The fact that China has chosen to do this is extremely worrying, so we will talk directly with Chinese officials and (government) counterparts and make sure that this does not continue to be part of a climbing pattern.”
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Read more: Canada alarms when Chinese fighter pilots “burn” Canadian planes over international waters
The Canadian CP-140 Aurora aircraft is currently participating in Operation Neon, part of the United Nations efforts to enforce sanctions against North Korea and prevent the development of weapons of mass destruction by the rogue nation. The aircraft is frequently flown by multiple rotating crews.
Sources told Global News that there have been about 60 such interceptions with Chinese fighter jets since Christmas. More than two dozen have been considered dangerous. Experts said they were concerned that a pilot error could cause a collision in the air and cause an international incident.
The Department of National Defense (DND) later confirmed details of the incident to Global News. A spokesman said they are “worrying and often growing” and that they sometimes force Canadian pilots to quickly alter their flight routes.
Trudeau did not specify how the government would address the issue with Beijing. According to sources, Ottawa has already issued multiple diplomatic warnings, calling the conduct of Chinese pilots “unsafe and unprofessional.” It is believed that China has not responded to the warnings and the incidents have continued.
2:17 Chinese fighter jets reportedly become more aggressive with Canadian military aircraft Chinese fighter jets are more aggressive with Canadian military aircraft.
China’s Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the allegations, despite repeated requests for comments from Global News.
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Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Thursday that she would raise the issue with her Chinese counterpart.
“I am very concerned that there have been incidents in this region of the world,” Joly told a news conference at the Citadel in Quebec City, where he was meeting with his counterparts in the Baltic region. He said it was “certain” that he would raise the issue with Chinese officials.
When asked if he considered the behavior of the Chinese Air Force to be an act of aggression against Canada, Joly said the behavior was a “significant gesture” and should be discussed with his counterpart.
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Michael Chong, the Conservative foreign affairs critic, told reporters in Ottawa that the allegations are proof that China’s military is “unprofessional and poorly trained.”
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“I think it’s a hallmark of authoritarian states: their military is not so well trained and they don’t follow the same rules that everyone else has to follow in international waters,” he said, adding that a similar “reckless” behavior of the Russian army in Ukraine.
Chong said the federal government must recognize the threat these authoritarian regimes pose to national security and increase defense spending, including Canada’s contributions to NATO.
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Group Captain Lyle Holt, commander of the United Nations Rear Guard Command overseeing UN bases in Japan, including the host of Operation Neon and the repeatedly-sounding Aurora aircraft, described the ‘disturbing’ report on Twitter.
This is a disturbing report. https://t.co/r2tl8eGDtf
– Commander of the back of the UN command (@CDR_UNC_R) June 1, 2022
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A spokesman for the UN mission in Norway, who chairs the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee in North Korea, told Global News that they could not comment on the reports, but added that “any possible breach of the serious sanctions regime “.
China has said it has enforced UN sanctions on North Korea over its arms program, but continues to provide economic and financial support to the rogue nation. He joined Russia last week to veto a U.S.-led push for new sanctions in response to renewed 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.
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesman told Global News that they are unaware of any reports of similar aggressive behavior toward U.S. pilots in the region.
Asked by U.S. State Department reporters on Thursday if the U.S. military is seeing greater aggression there, spokesman Ned Price made no comment. He referred to the recent condemnation of China’s “provocative military activity” around Taiwan and other parts of the Asian Pacific.
“We have said that this activity is destabilizing,” he said. “We are concerned, because there is a risk of miscalculation. It also undermines regional peace and stability.”
1:35 US “stands firm” against possible annexation of Taiwan by Chinese force: Biden US “stands firm” against possible annexation of Taiwan by Chinese force: Biden – May 23 of 2022
China has increased its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region over the past two years, especially around Taiwan, which Beijing claims is its territory. He has intensified exercises and maneuvers around the island and confirmed on Wednesday that he has carried out a “preparatory patrol” for combat at sea and in the air in recent days.
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This is not the first time China has been accused of flying dangerously close to Canadian military missions.
In 2019, Matthew Fisher, a fellow at the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs, wrote in a column on the think tank’s website that Chinese fighter jets flew 300 meters from the bow of a Canadian warship. HMCS Regina, in international waters.
However, Fisher, who was on board the ship, said that while the screen was more aggressive than previous encounters the Canadian Navy had with Chinese warplanes, it was not considered dangerous.
Chinese state media reported the incident at the same time, claiming that Chinese pilots had given the Canadian ship “a warm welcome”.
– With files by Abigail Bimman of Global, Marc-André Cossette, Mercedes Stephenson, The Canadian Press and Reuters
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