A Chinese jet flew dangerously close to a US Air Force plane over the South China Sea, forcing the US pilot to maneuver to avoid a collision, the US military said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday last week when a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) J-11 flew in front of and within 6m of the nose of an RC-135, a large reconnaissance plane operated by the US Air Force, the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
The US jet was “lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace,” the statement said, adding that its pilot was forced to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.”
Photo: REUTERS
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. Such behavior led to a 2001 in-air collision in which a Chinese plane was lost and its pilot killed.
Taiwan also has claims in the area.
“The US Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law,” the statement said.
Photo: AFP
“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” it said.
China deeply resents the presence of US military assets in the South China Sea, and regularly demands its ships and planes leave the area. The US says it is fully entitled to operate in and over the South China Sea, and ignores the Chinese demands.
Such dangerous incidents persist despite US-China agreements on how to deal with unexpected encounters.
The US and others have also accused China of harassing military aircraft and ships in the East China Sea off the Chinese coast and as far away as the Horn of Africa, where China operates a naval base in Djibouti.
There was no immediate response to the latest US complaint from the PLA.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) yesterday offered no details, but accused Washington of posing “serious threats to China’s national security” with its surveillance operations.
“China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend its sovereignty and security and work with regional countries to firmly defend the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” Wang told a daily briefing.
Wang also renewed Beijing’s objections to Washington’s planned arms sales to Taiwan.
The US “should stop arms sales and military contact with Taiwan and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Wang said. “China will take strong measures to firmly defend its sovereignty and security interests.”
Separately, state media yesterday reported that Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang (秦剛) would succeed Wang Yi (王毅) as the country’s minister of foreign affairs.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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