Pepet Canadian reconnaissance aircraft, Chinese pilots raise middle finger

OTTAWA – Senior government officials You have expressed concern over the dangerous escalation in aggression by the pilots tempers China in the skies of the Asia Pacific region.

Sources in the Canadian Forces and the federal government said that Chinese fighter jets repeatedly “buzzed” Canadian surveillance planes that were part of a UN mission over international waters.

Canada’s CP-140 Aurora aircraft are currently taking part in Operation Neon, part of the United Nations’ efforts to monitor sanctions against North Korea and prevent the rogue nation’s development of weapons of mass destruction. Planes are often flown by several crews in turn.

“The jets often fly as close as 20 to 100 feet from the Canadian planes,” said the source – so close that the Canadian pilots were able to make eye contact with the Chinese pilots, and occasionally saw them raise their middle finger. Global NewsFriday (3/6/2022).

The source spoke on condition of anonymity for discussing sensitive information.

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Sources told Global News there have been about 60 interceptions of this kind with Chinese fighter jets since Christmas, more than two dozen of which are considered dangerous.

According to the source, the Canadian government has sent several diplomatic rebukes to Beijing about the incident calling the Chinese pilot’s behavior “unsafe and unprofessional.”

China is believed not to have responded to the reprimand, which did not stop the incident and continues.

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