Source: Global Times

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Canada's public broadcaster reported on the 23rd that the Canadian military, "and possibly the coast guard," is closely monitoring a Chinese research vessel - "Xue Long 2" - which has appeared in the Arctic waters near Alaska for the second consecutive year. However, regarding this "monitoring," the Canadian military and coast guard have been quiet, with the latter even denying the surveillance of the Chinese vessel.

The report cited data compiled by ship tracker Stefan Watkins, stating that when the "Xue Long 2" left the Bering Strait on the 20th of this month, a CP-140 reconnaissance aircraft from the Canadian Air Force flew near it. Although public flight tracking information showed the patrol route of the CP-140, the Canadian Department of National Defence did not confirm the presence of the aircraft on the 21st.

It was not until the 22nd that the Canadian military issued a statement. Alexander Narain, a spokesperson for the Joint Operations Centre, stated in the statement: "We will continue to conduct necessary activities to detect, deter, and defend against potential threats within Canada, in its airspace, and near Canada."

Narain also said that the "Xue Long 2" is currently not in Canadian territorial waters. The Canadian Joint Operations Command has deployed a CP-140 "Aurora" aircraft stationed in Alaska to closely monitor it. "As long as the ship continues to operate near Canadian territorial waters, the monitoring will continue," he added. He further stated that "competing countries" are exploring Arctic waters and the seabed, "probing our infrastructure, and using research vessels and reconnaissance platforms with dual-use capabilities to collect intelligence."

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation noted that recent images released by Watkins also show that a Canadian Coast Guard ship has followed the "Xue Long 2" closely until it crossed the Bering Strait between Alaska, USA, and the Chukchi Peninsula, Russia.

When asked about this mission, the coast guard initially gave a vague response and referred the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to a media release from June 9th, which stated that the coast guard's ships would conduct patrols in the North Pacific to "combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities."

On the evening of the 21st, the Canadian Coast Guard denied that it had been monitoring the "Xue Long 2." The coast guard stated that this mission was focused on "the migration routes of key species such as Pacific salmon." "However, when we compared the vessel tracking data with publicly available salmon migration data, we found that only one-third of the ship's recent voyage involved known salmon migration routes," the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Zhuo Hua, an expert in international affairs at the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on the 23rd that from the messages released by Canadian media, it can be seen that Canada seems unwilling to disclose the situation, as it is essentially a harassment activity by the Canadian military and police against civilian vessels. "The Canadians know clearly, and they are deliberately hiding it," Zhuo Hua added. Zhuo Hua further stated that the scientific research activities conducted by Chinese research vessels fully comply with international maritime law and are consistent with the operational models of other countries in marine scientific research fields." (Guo Yuandan)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7530410872267653667/

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