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
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
PEACE AND STABILITY: The two nations called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked France and Australia for voicing their support for Taiwan, saying that peace across the Taiwan Strait is crucial to the stability and prosperity of international society. France and Australia on Monday pledged to deepen ties with Taiwan and reiterated their support for its participation in international organizations at this year’s Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations in Paris. The meeting between French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) and Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles was the second
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would
RSS