HONG KONG — A Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. Air Force plane conducting routine operations over the disputed South China Sea last week, the U.S. military said on Thursday, forcing the U.S. plane to conduct evasive maneuvers to avoid a. avoid collision.
The incident reflects what the US calls a worrying trend of unsafe interception practices by the Chinese military.
The US Air Force RC-135 aircraft was in international airspace on Dec. 21 when it was intercepted by a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet, the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. The Chinese jet positioned itself about 10 feet from the RC-135’s wing, then drifted within 20 feet of its nose while the U.S. plane maintained its course and speed, forcing it to perform evasive maneuvers.
“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” the command said.
A spokesman for the command said the US would respond through appropriate channels.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said on Thursday that the US has long endangered China’s national security with its aerial and naval reconnaissance in the region and that Beijing will continue to take “necessary measures”.
“The provocative and dangerous actions of the US are the root cause of maritime safety problems,” he said at a regular news briefing.
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and others. In recent years, China’s People’s Liberation Army has become increasingly assertive in the area, which has some of the busiest commercial shipping lanes in the world.
Speaking at a regional defense summit in Singapore in June, Defense Minister Lloyd J. Austin III said there had been “an alarming increase in the number of unsafe air interceptions and engagements at sea by PLA aircraft and ships”.
Australia said a Chinese fighter pilot intercepted one of its military surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea in May, releasing chaff that entered the plane’s engine.
The following month, Canada accused the Chinese military of forcing Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft off their flight paths during United Nations-sanctioned operations to monitor North Korea’s sanctions evasion.
Such incidents raise concerns about another deadly collision such as the one in 2001 when China detained 24 crew members of a US Navy spy plane for 10 days after it crashed with a Chinese fighter jet near the island province of Hainan, killing the pilot .
Austin also raised the issue during a November meeting with China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. The two men agreed at that meeting to improve military communication channels between the US and China, which had been suspended after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered China with her August visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing claims as its own territory. China views such visits as de facto recognition of Taiwan’s independence.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Tan Kefei, spokesman for China’s defense ministry, said China attaches great importance to its military relationship with the US and that working-level communication between the two militaries has not been interrupted.
“However, the US cannot try to fully resume dialogue and exchanges with China while China’s interests continue to be harmed,” he said.
China has stepped up its raids on Taiwan’s air defense identification zone since Pelosi’s visit, sending a record 71 warplanes to the island in a single 24-hour period this week after President Joe Biden signed a defense spending bill that cuts U.S. military aid. increased for Taiwan.
Separately, Japanese officials confirmed this week that there had been a rare sighting of the Chinese aircraft carrier group Liaoning near Guam, a US territory with two military bases. The Global Times, a state-backed Chinese nationalist tabloid, said Thursday that the move “demonstrated the Chinese carrier’s readiness to defend the country against potential U.S. attacks launched from there, including attempted military interference in the Taiwan issue.”
In an email Friday, deputy public affairs officer Lieutenant Kristina Wiedemann said the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet is closely monitoring all ships in its area of operations, including Guam, “to ensure the security and stability of the region.”
Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong and Mosheh Gains reported from Washington.
Jace Zhang and Hannah Lee contributed.
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