Over the South China Sea in international airspace, a Chinese fighter jet made an unnecessary aggressive maneuver close to a US military aircraft, the US claimed on Tuesday.
According to the US military command in charge of the Indo-Pacific, the Chinese J-16 aircraft’s move last week required the American RC-135 aircraft to fly through turbulence in its wake.
Chinese J-16 Jet Forces US Plane through Turbulence in South China Sea
Wherever international law permits, the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate – safely and responsibly, according to a statement.
A fighter jet could be seen passing in front of the American plane’s nose on a video, and the RC-135’s cockpit could be seen trembling due to the turbulence.
Liu Pengyu, a spokeswoman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, avoided commenting on the specifics but noted that the United States had frequently deployed aircraft and vessels for close-in reconnaissance on China, which poses a serious danger to China’s national security for a considerable amount of time.
The official went on to say that it would keep taking the necessary steps to tenaciously protect its security and sovereignty.
He added that it would collaborate with neighbors to resolutely uphold the South China Sea’s peace and stability.
Nearly all of the South China Sea, where numerous other nations have competing claims, is under China’s jurisdiction. Beijing has long argued that sending American ships and aircraft into the South China Sea is detrimental to maintaining international harmony.
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Meeting with US Defense Secretary
Before China’s government turned down a request from the United States, the most recent occurrence occurred.
This week in Singapore, the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian Security Summit will be attended by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a senior US defense official claimed that it had ignored or rejected more than a dozen requests for talks since 2021, despite the Pentagon’s insistence that such contacts are crucial to preventing miscommunications and unintended consequences.
The American government has described a recent trend of increasingly risky activity by Chinese military aircraft as the cause of the incident.
These interceptions do occur infrequently. In order to prevent a collision in international airspace, a Chinese military plane inched up to within 10 feet (3 meters) of a US Air Force aircraft in December.
The world’s two largest economies have been at odds with one another on a variety of issues, including Taiwan, China’s record on human rights, and its military activities in the South China Sea. Relations between the two countries have been difficult.
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