Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair on Friday slammed Chinese fighter jets' second "significantly unsafe" intercept in two weeks of Canadian aircraft patrolling the Pacific.
Blair said at a news conference that a Chinese fighter jet on October 29 twice flew close to a Canadian Cyclone helicopter near the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and on the second flyby fired flares "directly in front" of the helicopter.
There was "little separation" between the fighter jet and the helicopter, he said.
"The actions of the People's Republic of China fighter jet were deemed to be significantly unsafe, and we'll express our concerns to the People's Republic of China about that."
The helicopter and HMCS Ottawa were in the South China Sea as part of US and allied "freedom of navigation" crossings to reinforce the status of the body as an international waterway.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
China's assertiveness in the South China Sea via deploying hundreds of vessels and aircraft to the area, which has led to recent clashes with Philippine and Vietnamese ships, has become a growing concern for Washington and its regional allies.
Washington recently accused Beijing of orchestrating a "concerted" campaign of dangerous and provocative air force maneuvers against US military planes flying in international airspace in the region, warning such moves could spark inadvertent conflict between the two powers.
In mid-October, Chinese fighter jets also buzzed a Canadian Aurora maritime patrol aircraft helping to enforce UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea in response to its nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches.
Blair had called the latter actions by the Chinese air force -- coming withing five meters (15 feet) of the Canadian plane -- "dangerous and reckless."
Beijing hit back, accusing the Aurora plane of having "illegally intruded into the airspace" of Chiwei island, which lies in the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, claimed by China.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Objective:
To express Canadas concern over the Chinese fighter jets unsafe intercepts of Canadian aircrafts in the Pacific Ocean in the past two weeks.
State-of-the-Art and Limitations:
Chinese fighter jets have conducted two unsafe intercepts of Canadian aircrafts in the past two weeks, with the most recent incident involving a Canadian Cyclone helicopter on October 29th. The Chinese jet flew close to the helicopter and fired flares directly in front of the helicopter, which created a significant risk of collision.
Whats New in this Approach:
Canada is expressing their concerns to the Chinese government about the unsafe intercepts in order to reinforce the status of the South China Sea as an international waterway.
Target Audience and Impact:
The target audience for this approach are the Chinese government and military. If successful, it could reduce the risk of accidental conflict between China and other countries in the future.
Risks Involved:
The risk involved in this approach is that it could potentially worsen the diplomatic relationship between Canada and China.
Cost of Pursuing this Approach:
The cost of expressing concerns is likely to be minimal, as it does not involve any physical action.Timeline for Achieving Results:
It is difficult to estimate a timeline for achieving results, as it will depend on how the Chinese government responds.Mid-Term and Final
Success Metrics:
The mid-term success metric would be a reduction in the number of unsafe intercepts by Chinese fighter jets, while the final success metric would be an improvement in the diplomatic relations between China and other countries in the region.
Score for Ability to Interest DARPA: 4/10
This issue is not directly related to DARPAs mission, so it is unlikely that they will be particularly interested in it.
