Netherlands says Chinese military intercepted Dutch vessel enforcing UN sanctions against North Korea

Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—

The Netherlands said a Dutch warship came under attack by Chinese aircraft in the East China Sea on Friday, becoming the latest country to accuse the Chinese military of a dangerous encounter in international waters.

The Dutch defence ministry said in a statement on Friday that two Chinese fighter jets circled the frigate Tromp several times and that a Dutch maritime patrol helicopter was “closely approached” by two Chinese fighter jets and a helicopter while on patrol.

“This created a potentially dangerous situation,” the statement said.

CNN has reached out to the Chinese government for comment on the Dutch accusations.

According to a statement from the European Union, Trump was operating in the East China Sea in support of a multinational coalition enforcing UN sanctions against North Korea, known as the Pacific Security Maritime Exchange (PSMX).

Since 2006, the UN Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions imposing sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

According to the U.S. State Department, PSMX partner countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Dutch frigate called at Busan, South Korea, before patrolling the East China Sea and taking part in exercises with the South Korean navy, an EU statement said.

The Tromp vessel joins a growing list of ships and aircraft that China has accused the People’s Liberation Army of engaging in dangerous behavior in the East China Sea, South China Sea and elsewhere in recent years.

Last month, Australia accused Chinese fighter jets of firing flares over international waters in the Yellow Sea into the path of a naval helicopter flying from the destroyer Hobart, which also enforces UN sanctions against North Korea.

“This was an unsafe action which put the aircraft and its crew at risk,” then-Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.

China has defended its military’s actions and denied Australian claims the interception was unsafe.

“Australian warships and aircraft, under the pretext of implementing UN Security Council resolutions, deliberately approached China’s airspace, causing trouble and provocation, and endangering China’s maritime and aviation security,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular briefing last month.

“As a warning, the Chinese military has taken necessary measures at the scene. The relevant operations are lawful, compliant with regulations, professional and safe.”

The incident is similar to one that happened in late October when Canada said Chinese fighter jets fired flares into the path of a Canadian military helicopter over the South China Sea.

“The danger to the helicopter in this incident was from the flares striking the rotor blades and engine, so this has been classified as unsafe, non-standard and unprofessional conduct,” Lt. Commander Rob Millen, a flight officer aboard the Canadian Navy frigate HMS Ottawa, told CNN after the October incident.

China also defended its actions in the incident, accusing the Canadian military of “malicious provocative acts with ulterior motives.”

Two weeks before the clash in the South China Sea, a Royal Canadian Air Force patrol plane reported a dangerous interception by a Chinese aircraft helping enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea.

China says its military acts in accordance with international law and protects China’s interests, but has repeatedly said the U.S.-led alliance in the Pacific is a threat to its security.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue Defence Summit in Singapore earlier this month, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US had made “historic progress” over the past three years in building alliances and partnerships that strengthen security in Asia.

During the question and answer session, a Chinese colonel asked Austin whether the United States had plans to build a NATO-like alliance system in the Asia-Pacific region, and blamed NATO for the war in Ukraine.

Hours later, a Chinese military spokesman accused the United States of “sowing division and inciting conflict” in the region.

“The United States continues to sow chaos, which not only destroys peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region but also becomes a source of risk,” Jing Jianfeng, deputy chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Chinese Central Military Commission, told reporters in Singapore.