The Dutch Ministry of Defense said Chinese air force fighter jets circled a Dutch frigate and came close to a Dutch helicopter in the East China Sea, creating a “potentially dangerous situation.”
In a statement The defence ministry said on Friday that two Chinese fighter jets circled the Tromp several times as it was on patrol on Friday in support of a UN multinational force monitoring enforcement of maritime sanctions against North Korea.
Additionally, the ship’s NH90 maritime attack helicopter was approached by two Chinese fighter jets and a helicopter during a patrol. The Ministry of Defense posted photos of the helicopter and jets on Twitter.
“This created a potentially dangerous situation. The incident occurred in international airspace,” the ministry said.
According to the statement, HNLMS Tromp is continuing on schedule as part of naval exercise Pacific Archer 24 and is currently en route to Japan.
East China Sea tensions
The incident with the Dutch ship comes amid rising tensions in the East China Sea, where Japan protested on Friday after four possibly armed Chinese vessels passed near a disputed island under Japanese control.
This incident occurred when “four people [Chinese] Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that a ship carrying what appeared to be a cannon had entered “territorial waters” around the Senkaku Islands.
The islands are also claimed by China, which calls them the Diaoyu Islands, and the territorial dispute has been a long-standing thorn in the side of the neighbours.
dh/sms (Reuters, AFP)
