Chinese air force jets circled a Dutch frigate and approached a Dutch helicopter in the East China Sea in a way that “caused a potentially unsafe situation,” the Netherlands’ Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

In a statement, the Ministry said the HNLMS Tromp was patrolling on Friday in support of U.N. sanctions against North Korea when it was circled several times by two Chinese fighter jets.

Later, the ship’s NH90 helicopter was approached by two Chinese fighter jets and a helicopter.

“The incident took place in international airspace,” the ministry said. The Tromp is heading for Japan next and then to Hawaii for the “Rim of the Pacific” naval exercises.

  • @ZigguratEnglish
    -22•9 days ago

    In the East sea of China

    I don’t want to sound like a tankie supporting winnie the poo, but I assume the Dutch would do the same if a Chinese frigate passes by the North Sea.

    Dutch have the right to sail in international waters, and Chinese have the right to send a fighter to check them out

    • @[email protected]English
      36•9 days ago

      That analogy isn’t the same, at all. The Chinese aircraft didn’t just check them out, they deliberately flew dangerous as an intimidation tactic. The Dutch airforce doesn’t do this to anyone in the North Sea, even Russian bobmers. They just intercept, follow and tell them to leave.

      The Dutch aircraft and boats weren’t acting suspiciously or hostile at all. They were carrying out UN sanctioned activities. China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council they could have vetoed these activities if they didn’t agree with them.

      China allowed this operation, then they the behaved deliberately dangerously as an intimidation tactic. China wants to spread propaganda that this is okay and normal behaviour, it isn’t. They want to normalise their behaviour so they can bully their neighbours easier than before. Similar tactics have lead to fishermen dieing due to Chinas aggressive posturing.

    • @[email protected]English
      20•9 days ago

      In the East sea of China

      It is the East China Sea not the East sea of China, however much the PRC wants it to be so. It includes territorial waters of South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China, as well as a whole bunch of freely navigable international waters.

      By this logic, the Indian Ocean would belong to India, and the Atlantic to Greece since they got to name it first.