China's Military Regularly Intercepted Canada's Patrol Jet Over Past Weeks - Ottawa

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) Fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) repeatedly intercepted a Canadian CP-140 Aurora aircraft over the past weeks while it was conducting its sanctions monitoring mission around North Korea, a spokesperson of the Canadian Department of National Defence told CTV News.

"We can say that these intercepts occurred regularly over the course of the mission," Jessica Lamirande said, adding that Canada expected these interceptions to be conducted in "a safe and professional manner."

According to the spokesperson, the Canadian aircraft was intercepted by the PLA Air Force during the Operation Neon, which is an ongoing sanctions monitoring mission in the Pacific region, mostly aimed at North Korea's sanctions evasion activities.

The Canadian long-range patrol plane began its mission in early October after it was deployed to Japan's Okinawa and returned to Canada last week, according to the news outlet.

Canada's defense ministry did not provide any details on the dates of recent interceptions or types of Chinese jets conducting these interceptions, citing national security concerns, according to the broadcaster.

The Royal Canadian Air Force has been participating in sanctions monitoring activities in the Pacific region since 2018 and extended the mandate of the mission last year until 2023.