US military complains of ‘aggressive manoeuvre’ by Chinese fighter jet
The US military said on Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet flew aggressively close to a US reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to fly through the turbulent wake, as Beijing blamed it on US “provocation”.
The Chinese J-16 fighter pilot “flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135,” which was conducting routine operations in international airspace last Friday, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
It called the Chinese move an “unnecessarily aggressive manoeuvre.”
China’s military said on Wednesday the US jet “broke into” a military training area.
“A US RC-135 reconnaissance plane deliberately broke into our training area to carry out reconnaissance and interference,” Chinese military spokesperson Zhang Nandong said in a statement.
China had sent aircraft to track and monitor the jet “in accordance with laws and regulations”, Zhang said.
When asked, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday, “The United States’ long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China’s national sovereignty and security.”
“This kind of provocative, dangerous activity is the cause of the security issues on the seas,” Mao said, calling on Washington to “immediately stop this form of dangerous provocation”.
“China will continue to take all necessary steps to resolutely protect its own sovereignty and security,” she said.
US defence leaders have complained that China’s military has become significantly more aggressive over the past five years, intercepting US aircraft and ships in the region. And tensions with China have only grown in recent months over Washington’s military support and sales of defensive weapons to self-governing Taiwan, China’s assertions of sovereignty to the contested South China Sea and its flying of a suspected spy balloon over the US.
In a further sign of the tensions, China said its defence chief will not meet with US defence secretary Lloyd Austin when the two men attend a security conference in Singapore this coming weekend.
Austin is scheduled to address the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, while Chinese defence minister Gen. Li Shangfu will speak at the gathering on Sunday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called on Beijing to agree to greater communication, saying, “There have been a series of these actions directed not just at us but at other countries in recent months.”
“The most dangerous thing is not to communicate and, as a result, to have a misunderstanding and miscommunication,” Blinken told reporters on a visit to Sweden.
“And as we said repeatedly, while we have a real competition with China, we also want to make sure that doesn’t veer into conflict and the most important starting point for that are regular lines of communication.”
Blinken cancelled a trip to Beijing in February after the United States said it spotted a surveillance balloon from China over the US mainland.
China has said the US is entirely responsible for the breakdown in communications, but has not publicly given a reason.
China frequently challenges military aircraft from the US and its allies, especially over the strategically vital South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety. China’s claim is not recognised internationally and directly challenged by nations along its coast including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Such behaviour led to a 2001 in-air collision in which a Chinese plane was lost and pilot killed. Beijing deeply resents the presence of US military assets in that region, and regularly demands that American ships and planes leave the area.
In the statement on Tuesday, the US Indo-Pacific Command said America will continue to “fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows,” and expects all other countries to do the same.