China’s military is increasing the use of dangerous aerial intercepts of American and allied aircraft in Asia that could lead to loss of life and an international crisis, according to a new legal analysis by the U.S. Indo-Pacific command.
The People’s Liberation Army aircraft have “executed exceptionally close approaches; engaged in reckless maneuvers; and breached widely accepted aviation norms and standards,” the report states.
“It’s not uncommon for U.S. military aircraft to be intercepted 10 times a day,” he said during a conference hosted by the Air and Space Forces Association.The U.S. military recently began highlighting some of the more egregious incidents, despite a lack of response so far from China. The last major crisis involving a Chinese aerial intercept took place in 2001, when a Chinese fighter jet collided with a U.S. EP-3 surveillance aircraft off the Chinese coast.
Russian fighter jets have made dangerous close passes of U.S. jets over Syria and in March a Russian jet collided with a MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, U.S. officials say. The report was produced by military lawyers at the command’s staff judge advocate office and contends that the Chinese military is using the dangerous intercepts as part of a campaign of legal warfare or “lawfare.”
“Despite these obligations, reports indicate that PLA aircraft have executed exceptionally close approaches; engaged in reckless or aggressive maneuvers; and breached safety of flight protocols,” the report said.
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