Dutch Ship Encounters Chinese Jets in East China Sea, Resulting in ‘Unsafe Situation,’ Netherlands Reports

Chinese fighter jets circled a Dutch frigate and approached a Dutch helicopter during a patrol in the East China Sea, creating “a potentially unsafe situation,” the Dutch defense ministry announced over the weekend.

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

“The incident took place in international airspace,” the Dutch ministry said.

The HNLMS Tromp is on its way to Japan and Hawaii to participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which will start later this month.

Tensions With Japan in East China Sea

The incident occurred just one day after Tokyo protested against the Chinese regime after four armed Chinese Coast Guard ships entered Japan’s territorial waters near the disputed islands in the East China Sea.

“I am not in a position to state what the Chinese side’s intentions are, but the intrusion of vessels belonging to China’s coast guard into [our] territory is a breach of international law,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters at a press conference on June 7.

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Tokyo controls the disputed islands, which it calls the Senkaku Islands, but Beijing also claims the area and calls it the Diaoyu Islands. Tensions escalated in 2012 when the Japanese government bought some islands from a private Japanese owner.

China’s coast guard said it had patrolled the waters with vessels carrying weapons, claiming the patrol was a “routine action” to safeguard sovereignty, security, and maritime rights and a “necessary step” for achieving peace and stability, as well as countering Japan’s recent “negative moves.”

Tokyo lodged a “strong protest” through diplomatic channels calling for a swift exit from the area, Mr. Hayashi said, adding that the four Chinese vessels stayed in the area for more than an hour.

The Philippine military said on June 4 that Chinese boats intercepted and seized one of four food packs that were airdropped to a Philippine outpost in disputed waters in the South China Sea on May 19.

Earlier, in a separate incident, at least four Filipino crew members were injured by broken glass after a Chinese water cannon attack. Manila summoned a Chinese diplomat to protest the incident, calling it “aggressive actions.”

Last month, at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned the Chinese regime against crossing the line into “an act of war.”

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Pham Thu Hang, told reporters that Vietnam also demanded China respect the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC).

Reuters contributed to this report.