Canada has accused China of harassing its planes during a voyage around North Korea

By Josh Smith

SeoulJune 2 – Canadian military accuses Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrols to avoid violating sanctions on North Korea, sometimes requiring Canadian ships to be diverted from their air routes.

In many cases, between April 26 and May 26, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force aircraft (PLAAFIts abbreviation in English is Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora approaches long-range patrol aircraft (RCAFIts summary in English), the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement released Wednesday.

“In these contacts, the aircraft PLAAF They do not respect international aviation safety standards, “the statement said.” These contacts are unprofessional and / or endanger the safety of our personnel. RCAF“.

In some cases, the Canadian crew felt so threatened that they had to quickly change their flight path to avoid a collision with an intercepting aircraft, the report added.

Beijing has not yet commented on the allegations.

These types of contacts are worrying and frequent, the Canadian military said, adding that these missions come in the wake of UN-approved measures to impose sanctions on North Korea.

Canadian flights “were part of the process NeonShips, aircraft and military personnel are being sent to Ottawa to identify suspicious barriers at sea, including the transfer of fuel and other items prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions.

China claims to have used Vin’s sanctions UNSCNorth Korea joined Russia last week in vetoing a US-led proposal to impose new sanctions on North Korea as it tests its missiles.

“In the current context, increasing sanctions will not help solve the problem,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a conference on Wednesday.

The Chinese and Russian air forces last week launched joint air patrols in the Sea of ​​Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific, marking the first such exercise since Russia’s occupation of Ukraine.