Pentagon accuses Chinese fighter jet of ‘aggressive’ act near US aircraft

The Pentagon said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet carried out “unnecessarily aggressive maneuvers” near a US military aircraft flying over the South China Sea last week.

The US Indo-Pacific Command released video footage of the incident, which it said happened on Friday, as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was leaving for a visit to the region with stops in Japan, Singapore and India.

It was the latest of several similar encounters and came at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. China’s military has repeatedly rebuffed US attempts to arrange a meeting between Austin and his Chinese counterpart, including one that could take place this week.

US military officials have accused pilots of China’s People’s Liberation Army of increasingly reckless behavior in the region, including an incident in December when a Chinese fighter jet fired 6 meters (6 ft) at a US military aircraft operating in the South China Sea. flew in range.

A spokesman for the US Department of Defense said the Chinese fighter jet came within 400 feet (about 121 metres) of the plane’s nose.

The US military said that after the Chinese pilot “flew directly in front of the nose” of the RC-135, the US aircraft was forced to “fly through its wake turbulence”.

The Pentagon said the aircraft was “conducting safe and routine operations” in international airspace and would continue to do so “wherever international law permits”.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea as well as Taiwan, often accuses the US of threatening peace in the region. Washington argues that its military operations uphold the international rules-based order against threats and coercion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that “provocative and dangerous” behavior by the US was responsible for maritime tensions in the region and “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security”.

“China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard its security and sovereignty,” he added.

Last week’s incident highlights the risks of an unexpected conflict between Beijing and Washington at a time when diplomatic ties are fraying amid geopolitical and economic tensions.

In 2001, an American spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet about 70 miles off the coast of Hainan Island, and the American plane was forced to make an emergency landing. Relations between the powers deteriorated after the accident, resulting in the interrogation and detention of the crew by the Chinese military.

Biden administration officials are seeking more meetings with their Chinese counterparts to try to stabilize relations with Beijing.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Washington last week, the first senior-level Chinese visit to the US capital since 2020. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also recently met Wang Yi, China’s top foreign minister. Policy Officer, in Vienna.

However, China has not agreed to reschedule the visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He canceled a previously planned trip in February following the diplomatic fallout from the downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the US.

Additional reporting by Meiqi Ding in Beijing

The Pentagon said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet carried out “unnecessarily aggressive maneuvers” near a US military aircraft flying over the South China Sea last week.

The US Indo-Pacific Command released video footage of the incident, which it said happened on Friday, as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was leaving for a visit to the region with stops in Japan, Singapore and India.

It was the latest of several similar encounters and came at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. China’s military has repeatedly rebuffed US attempts to arrange a meeting between Austin and his Chinese counterpart, including one that could take place this week.

US military officials have accused pilots of China’s People’s Liberation Army of increasingly reckless behavior in the region, including an incident in December when a Chinese fighter jet fired 6 meters (6 ft) at a US military aircraft operating in the South China Sea. flew in range.

A spokesman for the US Department of Defense said the Chinese fighter jet came within 400 feet (about 121 metres) of the plane’s nose.

The US military said that after the Chinese pilot “flew directly in front of the nose” of the RC-135, the US aircraft was forced to “fly through its wake turbulence”.

The Pentagon said the aircraft was “conducting safe and routine operations” in international airspace and would continue to do so “wherever international law permits”.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea as well as Taiwan, often accuses the US of threatening peace in the region. Washington argues that its military operations uphold the international rules-based order against threats and coercion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that “provocative and dangerous” behavior by the US was responsible for maritime tensions in the region and “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security”.

“China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard its security and sovereignty,” he added.

Last week’s incident highlights the risks of an unexpected conflict between Beijing and Washington at a time when diplomatic ties are fraying amid geopolitical and economic tensions.

In 2001, an American spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet about 70 miles off the coast of Hainan Island, and the American plane was forced to make an emergency landing. Relations between the powers deteriorated after the accident, resulting in the interrogation and detention of the crew by the Chinese military.

Biden administration officials are seeking more meetings with their Chinese counterparts to try to stabilize relations with Beijing.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Washington last week, the first senior-level Chinese visit to the US capital since 2020. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also recently met Wang Yi, China’s top foreign minister. Policy Officer, in Vienna.

However, China has not agreed to reschedule the visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He canceled a previously planned trip in February following the diplomatic fallout from the downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the US.

Additional reporting by Meiqi Ding in Beijing