Canadian navy ships ‘buzzed’ by Chinese warplanes
- Navy helicopter was also targeted by laser detected from nearby fishing boat, Canadian military confirms
- No injuries or damage reported, though revelations come amid heightened tensions between two nations
Two Canadian naval vessels were “buzzed” by Chinese fighter planes when they sailed through the East China Sea this week, the Canadian military said on Thursday.
A Canadian navy helicopter was also targeted by a laser detected from a nearby fishing boat, it said in a statement.
There were no injuries nor damage, but the revelations come amid heightened tensions between the two nations over Canada’s arrest of a senior telecoms executive last December and China’s detention of two Canadian nationals in apparent retaliation.
Canada’s defence ministry said the frigate HMCS Regina and support vessel Asterix were in “international waters in the East China Sea” when two Chinese Su-30 fighter planes “passed the ship at a range of approximately 300 metres (985 feet) and an altitude of approximately 100 feet”.
The so-called “buzzing” happened on Monday at around 3.30pm local time, it said.