Tag : Militry

Beijing: US defence officials have warned of an "alarming increase" in aggressive intercepts from Chinese military aircraft and vessels, following a close encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a US military plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, Standard Media reported. These "risky" intercepts have the "potential to create an unsafe incident or miscalculation," according to two US defence officials who discussed the incident under the condition of anonymity. The US revealed video of a Chinese fighter pilot's "unnecessarily aggressive manoeuvre" on May 26 during an intercept of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft on Tuesday, according to Standard Media. The Chinese pilot "flew directly in front of and within 400 feet (122 metres) of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence," according to a representative for Indo-Pacific Command, which coordinates US military operations in the area. Standard Media said that the spokesperson claimed the US plane was "conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law" when the intercept took place. In a statement, Indo-PACOM (Pacific Command) urged all nations to use international airspace safely and in line with international law, adding that the US "will continue to fly, sail, and operate, safely and responsibly, wherever international law allows." Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, accused the US of being responsible for the incident on Wednesday. She said that the aircraft was performing "close-in reconnaissance on China" and that this was "seriously threatening China's sovereignty and security." "The US needs to immediately stop ...