A Chinese fighter pilot performed an “unnecessary aggressive maneuver” near a US military spy plane operating in the South China Sea, officials said on Tuesday. US Armed Forces.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Washington over issues such as Taiwan or a Chinese balloon flying over the US in late 2022. The Chinese plane took off. “On Friday 120 meters directly forward of the RC-135’s nose, turbulence forced the American aircraft to cut its wake.”The command said in a statement Indo-Pacific (IndoPacom) The US Army’s RC-135 military spy plane was performing “Routine Security Measures in the South China Sea and International Airspace under International Law”Added IndoPacom.
According to video footage released, a fighter jet appears to pass in front of a US plane, which is shaken by the turbulence resulting from the passage.
A senior US military official, who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity, highlighted the presence. “An alarming increase in the number of collisions and fatal collisions” By Chinese planes and ships.
Such acts “can create an incident or dangerous miscalculation”was added“We do not consider these intercepts to be by pilots acting independently. We believe this is part of a larger repeat pattern.”A senior officer insisted.
A similar incident in December involving a Chinese fighter jet and a US RC-135 crashed the US aircraft. “Make evasive maneuvers to avoid collision”Revealed IndoPacom at that time.
News of the latest incident came a day after the Pentagon said Beijing had rejected a US invitation to hold a meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shanfu in Singapore this week.
However, the two situations are unrelated, according to a senior US official. Lloyd Austin and other US officials are working to strengthen US alliances in Asia to counter Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions.
White House National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Vienna in May.
US President Joe Biden has also recently hinted that ties between Washington and Beijing should be there “soon” To reduce tension.
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