The Netherlands will not back down from regular military deployments to the Indo-Pacific despite a recent tense naval encounter with China, the country¡¯s defense minister said, signaling that the incidents will not deter European engagement in the region.
¡°We are not here to seek a conflict, but we will keep coming back,¡± Dilan Ye?ilg?z-Zegerius told The Japan Times in an interview Monday following the arrival of Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter in Tokyo for a three-day port call.
The guided-missile frigate was involved in an incident last month near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, where the Chinese Navy reportedly subjected it to electronic interference.?
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