China has accused Canada of encroaching on its territory under the pretext of monitoring North Korea’s compliance with United Nations sanctions, saying Ottawa will be held accountable for further provocations.
“China urges Canada to see the severity of the incident and refrain from taking any adventurist or provocative moves,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters on Monday. “Otherwise, all the grave consequences will be borne by the Canadian side.”
At issue are Canadian military patrol flights that are billed as monitoring whether North Korea is evading UN sanctions. Ottawa last week accused Chinese fighter jets of harassing its patrol aircraft, but Zhao said China took “legitimate and forceful measures” in response to “unfriendly and unprofessional maneuvers” that endangered front-line personnel on both sides.
“UN Security Council resolutions have never mandated any country to deploy forces and conduct surveillance operations in jurisdictional air and sea areas of other countries for the purpose of identifying sanctions-evasion activities,” the spokesman said. “China firmly rejects all moves that endanger China’s sovereignty and national security in the name of implementing resolutions.”