A US military aircraft flying over the South China Sea had an irregular interaction with a Chinese fighter pilot, US Indo-Pacific Command said on Tuesday.
The incident, in which the PRC pilot flew directly in front of the nose of the U.S. Air Force RC-135, occurred last Friday.USINDOPACOM described the PLA J-16 fighter pilot’s actions as “an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver … forcing the U.S. aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence,” while the “RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law.
#USINDOPACOM Statement on #PRC Unprofessional Intercept:"We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law."— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command May 30, 2023 Indo-Pacific Command declassified and released a 30-second video from inside the U.S. aircraft showing the Chinese pilot’s intercept. The video starts by showing the other fighter jet from what appears to be the right of the U.S.
The incident comes amid a rough patch in the relationship between Chinese and U.S. defense officials. The Chinese declined a request from top U.S. defense officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for a meeting between him and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu before a security forum in Singapore, a Department of Defense official told the Washington Examiner on Monday.
"This is far from the first time that the PRC has rejected invitations to communicate from the secretary, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, or other department officials. Frankly, it’s just the latest in a litany of excuses. Since 2021, the PRC has declined or failed to respond to over a dozen requests," a senior defense official told the Washington Examiner.
Tensions have also been strained by the Chinese military buildup in the South China Sea and its increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan, a self-governing island over which China claims sovereignty. Chinese government officials have indicated their willingness to take Taiwan by force if necessary.
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