People’s Liberation Army fighter jets escorted a Dutch helicopter that violated Chinese airspace under the auspice of a UN mission. Beijing warned the Netherlands to avoid such incidents in the future.
The Dutch military has created a dangerous situation in the East China Sea after using a UN mission as a cover-up, Chinese Ministry of Defense representative Zhang Xiaogang has said.
He added that Beijing urges the Netherlands to limit any activities of their armed forces in the region and vowed decisive counter-measures in response to provocations near China’s territory.
The statement came in response to Amsterdam saying that one People’s Liberation Army helicopter and two fighter jets had approached a helicopter assigned to a Dutch frigate in the East China Sea.
The command of the People’s Liberation Army had to use its fighter jets to expel the helicopter from the area after warning its crew.
“[These steps] were legal and purposeful, everything was done professionally and according to standards. It is the Netherlands not China who created the dangerous situation,” Zhang underlined.
He added that the Netherlands had used the UN mission as a pretext for power projection in regions that are under the jurisdiction of other countries.
“Dutch statements and activities have a malevolent nature, we condemn them and we’ve sent a demarche,” he stressed, adding that China will take decisive countermeasures on any future violations or provocations.
In a recent confrontation, the Dutch military sparked tensions in the East China Sea by utilizing a UN mission as a disguise, according to Chinese Ministry of Defense representative Zhang Xiaogang. Beijing issued warnings to the Netherlands following the incident involving a Dutch frigate and Chinese aircraft in the region. Despite Dutch claims of operating in international airspace, China refuted this and accused the Netherlands of provocations near its territory. The People’s Liberation Army intervened by expelling the Dutch helicopter from the area.
Zhang emphasized the Netherlands’ responsibility for creating a dangerous situation and criticized their alleged misuse of the UN mission for power projection. Beijing pledged to take appropriate countermeasures against any future violations or provocations by the Dutch armed forces. This incident underscores the delicate geopolitical dynamics at play in the East China Sea.\
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