China’s Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order. By Isaac B. Kardon. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2023. 416 pages.

Chinese fighter jets aggressively intercepted a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft, which was operating in the East China Sea as part of Operation NEON. 1 The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has deployed assets to the Indo-Pacific since 2018 in support of Operation NEON, through which the CAF enforces United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea. 2 This is not the first time that the Chinese military has intercepted a CAF vessel or plane. 3 Yet this incident was a serious one for it might have resulted in a collision and loss of life.The Chinese jets manoeuvred within five metres of the Aurora and released flares near the front of the aircraft. 4 The intercepts drew a rare rebuke from senior Canadian officials, who have tended to downplay the significance of CAF operations in the Indo-Pacific. 5 Notably, Minister of National Defence Bill Blair characterized the intercepts as "dangerous and reckless." 6 In recent years, the Chinese government has more robustly enforced its sweeping territorial and maritime claims in its surrounding seas.Although the exact location of the intercepts is not entirely clear, a senior Canadian officer noted that the incident occurred in "international waters." 7The Aurora almost certainly flew over waters that China claims as part of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), an ocean zone wherein the coastal state enjoys only certain sovereign rights-namely, relating to resources located therein.A coastal state does not enjoy unlimited sovereignty in its EEZ.