China publishes record of expelling foreign warplanes, ‘ warns of risk’

China recently published the flight record of its fighter jets expelling foreign warplanes from the South China Sea in May 2020, which is a move that sent a strong signal to the US, as the latter doubled its risky and provocative close- in reconnaissance attempts on China in the region this year compared to last year, experts said.

Some foreign military aircraft were spotted conducting close- in reconnaissance on China in May 2020, and an aviation force brigade attached to the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA) Southern Theater Command Air Force deployed in a coastal frontline air base was tasked to engage, China Central Television ( CCTV) reported on Saturday.

Pilot Lu Geng, head of the brigade’s air group, immediately led the group in a scramble to engage the hostile aircraft, and succeeded in expelling them, the report said.

“This is the PLA Air Force. You are about to enter Chinese airspace. Leave immediately!” They said in radio communications in both English and Chinese.

Remembering the encounter, Lu said that, “If [ they] had started a fight, I would fight. Pilots are ready all the time, and there was nothing to hesitate about.”

The CCTV report did not identify the nationality of the foreign warplanes, but observers said they were very likely from the US, as it has been conducting increasingly frequent close- in reconnaissance activities on China since early 2020.

The US has been sending electronic reconnaissance aircraft and anti- submarine aircraft for close- in reconnaissance operations on China attempting to gather intelligence on the PLA and contain Chinese military activities, said Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.

The revelation of the encounter to the public a year after its occurrence is a strong signal sent to the still- increasing US close- in reconnaissance activities, and Lu’s strongly worded statement displays the PLA’s determination and capability to safeguard the motherland, warning of the high risk of the provocative US military activities, analysts said.