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(ANS) — According to sources at the Pentagon, a Chinese fighter jet flew close to an Air Force plane over the South China Sea.
Sources say that the US pilot had to maneuver to avoid what was described as a perilously close encounter.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement Thursday that the incident took place Dec. 21 when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-11 flew in front of and within about 20 feet of the nose of an RC-135, a reconnaissance plane operated by the U.S. Air Force.
The Command statement indicated that U.S. plane was “lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace,” the statement said. Its pilot was forced to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.”
“The U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law, ” the Command asserted.
China is said to resent the presence of U.S. military assets in the South China Sea & demands its ships and planes leave the area.
Pentagon officials say the US entitled to operate in the South China Sea and ignores the Chinese demands.
Although these encounters happen from time to time, agreements between the US and China are supposed to address and cover such incidents.
The U.S. and others have also accused China of harassing military aircraft and ships in the East China Sea off the Chinese coast and as far away as the Horn of Africa, where China operates a naval base.
There was no immediate response to the latest U.S. complaint from the PLA, the military wing of China’s ruling Communist Party.
China’s Foreign Ministry offered no details, but accused the U.S. of posing “serious threats to China’s national security,” with its surveillance operations.
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“China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend its sovereignty and security and work with regional countries to firmly defend the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” the Ministry’s statement read.
China also renewed its objections to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, that China has threatened to bring under its control by force if necessary.
Though the U.S. has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is required by U.S. law to ensure the island has the means to defend itself. While China has given Taiwan no deadline to accept its ultimatum, some U.S. defense officials believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping has become more eager to force a military solution in the coming years.
The U.S. “should stop arms sales and military contact with Taiwan and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” the Foreign Ministry’s officials stated.
Affiliated News Services.
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