Canada military news: Warships shadow Canada’s vessel [Video]

CTV National News is on board HMCS Ottawa, with correspondent Adrian Ghobrial embedded with Canadian Navy personnel and documenting their work in the South China – a region where China is increasingly flexing its maritime muscle. This is the third in a series of dispatches from the ship.

It’s Day four at sea onboard HMCS Ottawa. As the Halifax-class frigate crosses into the South China Sea, a familiar presence begins to shadow the Royal Canadian Navy.

At first, one, then two Peoples Liberation Army Navy ships began following HMCS Ottawa shortly after midnight.

The silhouettes of a hulking Chinese Navy destroyer dubbed “Changsha” and a warship called the “Yuncheng” can been seen hovering along the horizon, mirroring HMCS Ottawa’s movements.

The looming presence of China’s Navy comes as no surprise. Over the last decade, Beijing has built airstrips on top of reefs in the South China Sea and militarized nearby …