The U.S. accuses China of a dangerous maneuver in international airspace and released a video of the incident. China has not yet commented.
Washington - The US Pacific Command accuses a Chinese pilot of conducting an "unnecessarily aggressive" interception maneuver against a US reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea. As the U.S. Pacific Command said in a report on Tuesday (May 30), the incident had already occurred on Friday (May 26).
According to its own statements, the US RC-135 aircraft has a "safe and routine operation over the South China Sea in international airspace". During the operation, a Chinese pilot suddenly flew directly in front of the U.S. aircraft and forced it to fly through the wake vortex of the Chinese jet. Wake vortices are invisible turbulences that occur behind an aircraft and can be dangerous for subsequent aircraft. "We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law," it added.
An RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, here one of the US Air Force during refueling. (Symbolic photo) © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
U.S. accuses China of "aggressive" maneuvers against U.S. military aircraft over South China Sea
The U.S. also released a video of the incident on Tuesday. In the almost 30-second shot, you can see from the perspective of the U.S. cockpit how a rapidly approaching jet cuts off the U.S. plane from right to left and moves away again. As a result, the camera in the U.S. plane begins to shake as it has to fly through the turbulence. According to the DVIDS, the Chinese jet was a Shenyang J-16 fighter jet.
In a statement after the incident, the U.S. Pacific Command wrote: "The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force will continue to fly in international airspace while respecting the safety of all ships and aircraft under international law." China had not yet commented on the incident.
Incident between Chinese fighter jet and U.S. plane: relationship at rock bottom
The incident is part of a long chain of mutual accusations between the US and China. As recently as December, the U.S. Pacific Command accused Beijing of a similar maneuver over the South China Sea. At that time, a Chinese pilot of a J-11 fighter jet also flew up to 20 feet to a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft, so the plane had to maneuver to avoid a collision. In February, U.S. fighter pilots shot down a Chinese balloon, speculating that it was a spy balloon.
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Tensions between China and the US continue to escalate. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea for itself, while the US and China's neighbors accuse Beijing of increasing militarization of the region. However, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim territories there. All territorial claims were rejected by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016. Adding to the tensions are China's backing for Russia's war against Ukraine and the ongoing trade war with reciprocal punitive tariffs. (nz/dpa)
