This handout image released by the Dutch Ministry of Defense shows the frigate HNLMS Tromp. Netherlands Ministry of Defence
Published June 10, 2024
A Dutch warship was harassed by Chinese military aircraft in the East China Sea on Friday, the Netherlands said, becoming the latest country to accuse Beijing’s forces of initiating potentially unsafe encounters in international waters.
In a statement Friday, the Dutch Defense Ministry said two Chinese fighter jets circled the frigate HNLMS Tromp several times, while its marine patrol helicopter was “approached” by two Chinese warplanes and a helicopter during a patrol.
“This created a potentially unsafe situation,” the statement said.
CNN has asked the Chinese government for comment on the Dutch accusations.
The Tromp was operating in the East China Sea in support of a multinational coalition enforcing United Nations sanctions on North Korea, known as the Pacific Security Maritime Exchange (PSMX), according to a statement from the European Union.
The UN Security Council has passed multiple resolutions since 2006 imposing sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear weapons program.
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SOURCE: www.edition.cnn.com
RELATED: Dutch warship confronted by Chinese military while enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea, reports Netherlands.
On Friday, a Dutch warship faced harassment from Chinese military planes in the East China Sea, with the Netherlands reporting this incident. This event makes the Netherlands the latest nation to accuse Beijing’s military of starting potentially hazardous encounters in international waters.
Published June 10, 2024
The Dutch Defense Ministry claimed on Friday that two Chinese fighter jets flew around their frigate, HNLMS Tromp, multiple times, while one of their marine patrol helicopters was approached by two Chinese warplanes and a helicopter during a patrol in the East China Sea. The statement mentioned the events created a “potentially unsafe situation.”
The Netherlands has asked China for comment on the accusations. The Tromp was stationed in the East China Sea to support a multinational coalition enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea, called the Pacific Security Maritime Exchange (PSMX). The sanctions are a result of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. PSMX consists of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Prior to the patrol in the East China Sea, the Dutch frigate made a port call in Busan, South Korea, where it practised manoeuvres with the South Korean Navy.
This is not the first time vessels and aircraft have accused China’s People’s Liberation Army of executing possibly harmful maneuvers in the East China and South China Seas and beyond. Last month, Australia claimed a Chinese fighter jet fired flares towards a naval helicopter operating from the destroyer HMAS Hobart, again over international waters in the Yellow Sea.
The Hobart also enforced UN restrictions on North Korea. Australia called it an “unsafe maneuver” that could be hazardous to the aircraft and its personnel. China defended that action by its military but rejected Australia’s characterisation that the interception was threatening.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that Australian warships and planes “deliberately approached China’s airspace” to stir issues, therefore stirring danger to China’s maritime and air safety. China claimed its military “took necessary measures” at the scene. Further back in October, Canada stated a Chinese fighter jet fired flares at a Canadian military helicopter in the South China Sea, with Canada characterizing it as “unsafe and non-standard.” Maj. Rob Millen, Canadian air officer, said the risk to a helicopter in that case was the flares “moving into the rotor blades or the engines” placing it in that category of “both unsafe and unprofessional.”
China denied the allegations and accused Canada of engaging in a “malicious and provocative act with ulterior motives.” About two weeks prior to the South China Sea incident, a Royal Canadian Air Force patrol plane reported an unsafe intercept by a Chinese jet while it was supporting the UN enforcement of sanctions on North Korea.
