BEIJING, Nov. 4 -- "The move by the Canadian side violates China's domestic and relevant international laws, endangers China's sovereignty and security, and is a malicious provocative act with ulterior motives," said Chinese Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang in a written statement released on Saturday.

According to reports, the Canadian Department of National Defense issued a statement stating that a Canadian military helicopter had recently been intercepted by a Chinese military's J-11 fighter jet in the South China Sea. And the defense minister of Canada claimed that the "interception" by the Chinese fighter jet was "very unsafe".

In response, Chinese Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang said that recently, the Canadian Navy's frigate HMCS Ottawa had dispatched two sorties of ship-borne helicopters to approach the territorial air space of China's Xisha islands with unknown intentions. "The Chinese People's Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to identify and verify in accordance with the law, and repeatedly issued warnings. However, the Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond, but also took provocative actions such as flying at ultra-low altitude. Afterwards, the Canadian side hyped it up through the media to accuse and smear China," added Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang.

The spokesperson emphasized that the actions taken by the Chinese military in dealing with the situation were professional and standard. He urged the Canadian side to respect facts, stop hyping up and strictly restrain the actions of its frontline naval and air forces, so as to prevent accidents at sea and in the air.

"The Chinese military is always on high alert and ready to resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea," stressed the spokesperson at the end of the statement.

Source link：http://eng.mod.gov.cn/xb/News_213114/TopStories/16264446.html

Online Editor：Lin Congyi