China blames Canada for ‘malicious, provocative’ moves after close midair intercepts over South China Sea

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China has accused Canada of carrying out “malicious and provocative” actions in the South China Sea, after the Canadian Navy said Chinese fighter jets endangered a helicopter in two close intercepts above international waters.

The comments come after CNN revealed last week that a Chinese warplane fired flares in front of a Canadian military helicopter on October 29, an operation that Canadian military officers said was reckless and could have resulted in the downing of the aircraft.

The incident was the second of two “unsafe” encounters the Canadian chopper had on that day with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy J-11 fighters, which got as close as 100 feet (30 meters) from the helicopter, Maj. Rob Millen, air officer aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa, told CNN in an interview on the warship.

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair briefed reporters on the incidents later Friday, saying the Chinese jets’ actions were deemed to be “significantly unsafe” and put “the safety of all personnel involved in unnecessary risk.”

Canada said both incidents took place in international waters within the South China Sea.

China’s Defense Ministry hit back on Saturday, accusing Canada of violating Chinese and international laws, jeopardizing China’s sovereignty and security, and conducting “malicious and provocative act with ulterior motives.”

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said Canada’s HMCS Ottawa frigate flew two helicopter sorties with “unknown intentions” toward China’s airspace around the Xisha