China defended its military pilots on Monday, saying they were doing the right thing and protecting its sovereignty, following recent complaints from Canada and Australia that Chinese planes were engaging in risky maneuvers over the Pacific.
Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said China “has promptly taken reasonable, powerful and professional measures in response to Canada’s hostile and unprofessional acts of provocation and operations”.
Last week, the Canadian military accused Chinese planes of repeatedly failing to meet international safety standards and endangering a Canadian crew. A June 1 statement said Chinese planes attempted to divert a Canadian long-range patrol plane off course and the crew had to change direction quickly to avoid a potential collision.
“Such interactions […] are concerning and increasingly frequent,” the statement said.
The Canadian aircraft was deployed from April 26 to May 26 to join other countries in monitoring ship-to-ship fuel transfers at sea that could help North Korea evade UN sanctions over its nuclear testing. missiles and nuclear. Chinese vessels are believed to have participated in the transfers. The United States and Japan also participated in the surveillance.
Wu said in a statement that Canada had stepped up close reconnaissance of China under the guise of implementing UN sanctions. He said Canada would take responsibility for all the serious consequences of what he called his risky and provocative actions.
A 2001 collision between a US surveillance plane and a Chinese air force plane resulted in the death of the Chinese pilot and the detention of the US crew by China for 10 days.
In a separate incident, newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, visiting Indonesia on Monday, called the May 26 actions of a Chinese fighter jet a dangerous act of aggression against a US military plane. Air Force carrying out aerial surveillance in the South China Sea.
The Chinese J-16 accelerated and passed the Australian plane, releasing small pieces of aluminum which were sucked into the latter’s engine, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not comment on the incident.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the Chinese military always conducts operations based on international law and practice and in a safe and professional manner.
“We urge Australia to respect China’s national security interests and major concerns, and to be careful in its words and deeds to avoid a miscalculation that could have serious consequences,” he said. -he declares.
China claims numerous small islands and reefs in the South China Sea and says the area around these outcrops is its territorial waters and airspace. The waters are an important navigation route for all countries in the region, including Australia which, together with the United States, says it wants to guarantee freedom of navigation through this sector.
Zhao said China would not allow any country to violate its sovereignty in the name of freedom of navigation.
He also accused Canada of spreading misinformation and said it should adopt a moderate and pragmatic policy towards China and take concrete steps to improve relations between the two countries.