A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the U.S. military.
The Chinese pilot “flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, demonstrated poor piloting by approaching at uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of and less than 3 meters from the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision”, said the United States Indo-Pacific Command in a statement on Thursday (26).
“We are concerned that this pilot did not know how close he came to causing a collision.”
News of the latest Chinese interception comes at a time when President Joe Biden is expected to speak with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when he visits the White House this Friday (27), reported the CNN On thursday.
It is unclear whether the meeting will be a formal discussion or a more informal gathering. Wang is also expected to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping may also meet on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco next month, although neither side has confirmed the plans.
The US and China on Thursday released images accusing each other of provocative maneuvers in and around the South China Sea, raising tensions over the disputed waterway.
China’s Defense Ministry released a video during a regular press conference saying the USS Ralph Johnson “conducted close harassment” against a Chinese navy task group carrying out routine training in the South China Sea on Aug. 19. .
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the video “shows that the US side is the real provocateur, risk-taker and disruptor.”
Wu stated that the US warship’s actions “endanger China’s national security” and added that China would “take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty.”
“US fighter jets coming to us to flex their muscles at our doorstep are the root cause of air and maritime security risks,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said in response to a question for comment on the incident on Friday. .
The Pentagon’s top Indo-Pacific security official, Ely Ratner, said earlier this month that the US has seen more instances of “coercive and risky” behavior by Chinese pilots against US aircraft over the past two years in the East and West Seas. southern China than in the entire previous decade.
“Since the fall of 2021, we have seen more than 180 such incidents,” Ratner said. “It is a centralized campaign to carry out these risky behaviors in order to coerce a change in legal U.S. operational activity.”
The Pentagon’s efforts this year to talk to China’s military leadership have gone unanswered, and U.S. officials have become increasingly concerned about the lack of military dialogue between the countries. Beijing cut off communications after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, enraging Chinese leaders.
“I asked to speak to my counterparts, the eastern and southern operations commanders, now, for two and a half years,” Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John Aquilino said earlier this month. “I haven’t had one of those requests accepted yet.”
As part of the most recent National Defense Strategy, the US targeted China as the “pace challenger”, capable of competing with America in terms of its military power, economic power and international reach.
Beijing already has a standing army of more than a million soldiers, the world’s largest navy in terms of number of ships and the largest air force in the region.
Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost the entire South China Sea and uses its military might to assert its sovereignty claims in the disputed waters and beyond, including Taiwan.
In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions toward the island, including ballistic missile overflights, military aircraft flying into Taiwan’s aerial identification zone, and major exercises near Taiwan.
Although Xi has said he seeks the peaceful unification of Taiwan with China, he has not renounced the use of military force to achieve his goal.
See also: New map of China provokes reaction from neighboring countries
With information from Kathleen Magramo
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
