Beijing has accused Australia and Canada of “spreading disinformation” over allegedly dangerous manoeuvres by Chinese military pilots in international airspace.
China also warned Australia to stop “provocations” or face “serious consequences” after the Albanese government said a Chinese jet intercepted an RAAF plane in a dangerous manoeuvre.
A day earlier Justin Trudeau hit out at “irresponsible and provocative” actions by Beijing’s air force after Canadian aircraft deployed in Japan narrowly avoided a collision with Chinese jets late last month.
The incident has again heightened tensions between Beijing and Ottawa, just as a lengthy crisis over Canada’s 2018 arrest of a Chinese tech executive subsides.
China responded to the Canadian prime minister’s comments by calling on Canada to “respect the facts [and] stop spreading disinformation”.
The Canadian aircraft were deployed in Japan for a multinational effort to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
Source: theguardian.com
