China’s military said it used electronic interference and warnings to drive away a Dutch frigate near the disputed Paracel Islands.
China’s military said on Wednesday that it had used measures including electronic interference to drive away a Dutch warship near the disputed Paracel Islands. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command accused the Dutch frigate De Ruyter of illegally intruding into China’s Xisha Islands, with its shipborne helicopter repeatedly entering Chinese airspace.
The command organised naval and air forces and took necessary measures including verbal warnings and warning electronic interference to expel the ship, spokesman Zhai Shichen said. The Paracel Islands, known as Xisha in China and Hoang Sa in Vietnam, lie just over 300km from Hainan.
Zhai condemned the Dutch navy’s actions as seriously infringing on China’s territorial sovereignty and the security of its sea and airspace. In a rare wording, he said the Dutch frigate was extremely liable to trigger misunderstanding and miscalculation.
