Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Foreign affairs minister concerned by close calls between Chinese, Canadian aircraft

Share
QUEBEC -

Chinese jets have endangered a Canadian military plane operating in Asia, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Thursday, adding that she would raise the issue with her Chinese counterpart.

Joly was reacting to reports by the Canadian Armed Forces, who said Wednesday that on several occasions the People's Liberation Army Air Force failed to meet international aviation safety standards by flying dangerously close to the Canadian aircraft.

"I am extremely concerned that there have been incidents in this region of the world," Joly told a news conference at the Citadelle in Quebec City, where she met with her counterparts from the Baltic region. She said "it is certain" she will raise the issue with Chinese officials.

The Armed Forces said the "interactions" between Chinese and Canadian aircraft in international airspace near North Korea "are not professional" and they "endanger the security of our personnel."

"The aircrews in several (Chinese) aircraft are very clearly visible as they approach and attempt to divert our patrol aircraft from their flight path," the Forces said.

"In some instances, the (Royal Canadian Air Force) aircrew felt sufficiently at risk that they had to quickly modify their own flight path in order to increase separation and avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is taking the situation very seriously.

"The fact that China would have chosen to do this is extremely troubling," he said in Alberta. "So we will be bringing it up directly with Chinese officials and counterparts and ensuring that this doesn't continue to be part of an escalatory pattern."

Asked if she considered the behaviour of the Chinese air force to be an aggression against Canada, Joly said the behaviour was a "meaningful gesture" and needed to be discussed with her counterpart.

Joly said she spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April, a first since the arrest of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were released from Chinese custody in September 2021. Canada and other countries maintain Kovrig and Spavor were arbitrarily detained in China in 2018 in retaliation for the RCMP's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a United States extradition warrant.

"Now our goal is to make sure that we have a diplomatic relationship with China, but also be able to discuss difficult subjects," Joly said.

Canada deployed a CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft from April 26 to May 26 to Japan, as part of Operation NEON, a multinational effort to support the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea. The Armed Forces said the incidents occurred several times during that deployment and that the interactions became increasingly frequent.

Joly, during her meeting with government ministers from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, disinformation and food security. Joly said Canada would work with its allies to prevent the conflict from triggering a global energy and food crisis.

She was also questioned by reporters about whether Canada would increase its military presence in Europe. She said Canada has about 1,300 troops in Latvia, adding that there are 3,400 more soldiers in reserve and ready to be deployed if needed.

Joly and the ministers from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia will be in Toronto on Friday for an armchair discussion hosted by Toronto Metropolitan University.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2022.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ontario Provincial Police say a man has died after striking obstacles on the St. Lawrence River while driving a personal watercraft.

A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Local Spotlight

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Some Manitobans are cleaning up Sunday morning, after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province Saturday.

Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.

A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

Stay Connected