A Chinese vessel allegedly followed a French naval frigate dispatched to monitor North Korea’s illicit ship-to-ship transfers last month, highlighting Beijing’s longstanding opposition to international efforts to counter DPRK maritime smuggling in China’s backyard.

“A French frigate had an interaction with a Chinese naval vessel during a patrol,” the French Ministry of the Armed Forces said in response to an NK News query about the FS Prairial’s routine sanctions monitoring mission in the Yellow Sea. 

The ministry added that “this interaction was professional and controlled,” indicating there was no confrontation between the two vessels.

The armed forces ministry did not