A Chinese military plane flew within 10 feet of a US plane earlier this month, officials said.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) released the statement on Thursday, saying the incident happened on Dec. 21 in the South China Sea.
“On December 21 (China Standard Time), a People’s Liberation Army-Navy J-11 fighter pilot performed a dangerous maneuver while intercepting a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft. Force, which was legally conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace,” USINDOPACOM said.
The People’s Liberation Army aircraft flew within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135 craft. In order to avoid a collision, the American craft was forced to take evasive action.
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Footage of a Chinese pilot piloting a jet just 10 feet from a US Airforce RC-135 aircraft on December 21. (Credit: Ministry of Defence)
((Credit: Ministry of Defence))
The statement continued: “The United States Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, navigate and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard to the safety of all ships and aircraft under international law.
USINDOPACOM concluded, “We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law.”
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, fighter jets from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command conduct joint combat training exercises around the island of Taiwan on Aug. 7, 2022. China slammed an annual US defense spending bill for highlighting the ‘Chinese threat’ as Taiwan hailed the legislation, saying it demonstrated US support for the autonomous island which, according to China, must be subject to its authority. “China deplores and strongly opposes this US decision,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted online on Saturday, December 24.
(Gong Yulong/Xinhua via AP)
The People’s Republic of China has become increasingly aggressive in recent months as tensions between the mainland nation and the island of Taiwan escalate.
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The Chinese military has sent 71 planes and seven ships to Taiwan in a 24-hour show of force directed against the self-governing island, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday, after China expressed anger at the Taiwan-related provisions. in the USA annual defense spending bill.
China taiwan military harassment, which it claims to be its own territory, has intensified in recent years, and the Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army has sent planes or ships to the island almost daily.
In this photo released on December 31, 2021 by Xinhua News Agency, an undated photo shows a carrier-based J-15 fighter jet preparing to land on the Chinese Navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier during ‘combat training on the high seas. China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea to coincide with US President Joe Biden’s visits to South Korea and Japan, which are largely focused on countering the threat perceived from China.
((Hu Shanmin/Xinhua via AP))
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Between 6 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, 47 of the Chinese planes crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border once tacitly accepted by both sides, according to Taiwan Ministry of National Defense.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
