US defense officials warn of an “alarming increase” in aggressive interceptions by Chinese military aircraft and vessels following a close encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a US military aircraft in international airspace over the Sea of South China last week.
These “risky” intercepts have the “potential to create a security incident or miscalculation,” said two US defense officials who spoke about the incident on condition of anonymity.
On Tuesday, the US released footage of what it called an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” by a Chinese fighter pilot. during an interception of an RC-135 aircraft of the US Air Force on May 26.
The Chinese pilot “flew directly ahead – and 122 meters – of the RC-135’s nose, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence,” according to a spokesman for the Indo-Pacific Command (known as Indo-Pacific). PACOM), which oversees US military activity in the region.
The spokesman said the US plane was “conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law” when the interception occurred.
In a statement, Indo-PACOM called on all countries to use international airspace safely in accordance with international law, adding that the United States “will continue to fly, navigate and operate, safely and responsibly, where it international law allows.
China blames the US
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday blamed the United States for the incident, saying the plane was conducting “close reconnaissance of China” that “seriously threatened China’s sovereignty and security.”
“The United States must immediately stop these dangerous acts of provocation,” Mao said.
An international court ruling in The Hague holds that China did not have historical title to the South China Sea, but Beijing prefers to ignore this decision.
The US frequently carries out operations in and over the South China Sea to challenge the territorial claims of China and other countries and to promote free passage through international waters carrying half the tonnage of the world’s merchant fleet, valued at billions of dollars every year.
Beijing has claimed every point in the South China Sea, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim certain islands in the sea as part of their territory.
Beijing rejects meeting request
The increase in tensions between the US and China comes as the Pentagon says that Beijing rejected a request from Washington for a meeting between their defense chiefs at an annual security forum in Singapore this weekend.
Both defense chiefs are scheduled to attend the Annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaking on Saturday and his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister General Li Shangfu, on Sunday. The annual forum is an informal meeting of defense officials and analysts in Singapore that also creates opportunities for side meetings between defense leaders.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said open lines of communication are important “to ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict.”
A senior defense official told the voice of america on Tuesday that since 2021, the PRC has rejected or failed to respond to more than a dozen Defense Department requests for senior-official meetings, along with multiple requests for permanent dialogues and nearly 10 working-level engagements.
“Frankly, it’s just the latest in a litany of excuses,” the senior defense official said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also confirmed that the two defense leaders would not meet this week, saying on Tuesday that the United States should “seriously respect China’s sovereignty and security interests and concerns and create the atmosphere and necessary conditions for dialogue and communication between the two armies”.
Li, who took up his current role in March, has been under US sanctions since 2018 over the purchase of aircraft and combat equipment from Russia’s top arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
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