A Chinese fighter jet fired decoys near a Canadian military helicopter in the South China Sea, according to a report. The flare incident occurred in international waters on Sunday, US television channel CNN reported on Friday, citing the Canadian navy.
The flares could have penetrated the rotor blades or engines, meaning the Chinese behavior was “classified as dangerous, substandard and unprofessional”, according to CNN quoting Major. Rob Millen, Air force officer aboard the frigate “Ottawa” from which the helicopter took off.
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International airspace
Two weeks ago, Canada had already accused China of harassing one of its reconnaissance planes with a dangerous flight maneuver. The incident occurred in international airspace off the northeastern coast of China.
A spokesperson for Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said Friday it was not aware of any incidents involving a helicopter. However, China has already repeatedly expressed its anger to the Canadian side over the use of Canadian military aircraft in Chinese airspace for so-called reconnaissance purposes.
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