“Unnecessarily aggressive”: Chinese jet presses American aircraft Meat substitute manufacturer Planted wants to expand production

There has been an incident involving two military aircraft between China and the United States over the South China Sea. The US Pacific Command accused the pilot of a Chinese fighter jet of an “unnecessarily aggressive” interception maneuver with a US reconnaissance aircraft.

The incident happened last Friday, the US military reported Tuesday (local time). China accused the US of “provocative and dangerous actions”. Such flights undermine China’s sovereignty.

The US RC-135 aircraft was conducting a “safe and routine operation” in international airspace, according to the US Pacific Command. The Chinese pilot flew his fighter jet right in front of the American plane’s nose, forcing it to fly through the Chinese jet’s wake turbulence. This is invisible turbulence that can be dangerous for following aircraft.

“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” the Pacific Command said. The US also released video of the incident. In Beijing, spokeswoman Mao Ning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately comment. However, she said the real cause of the security problems over the sea were “reconnaissance flights against China”.

China claims practically all of the South China Sea for itself. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim areas there. The United States and China’s neighbors accuse Beijing of increasing militarization of the region. The International Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected the territorial claims in 2016. China ignores the verdict.

Relations between the US and China have been at an all time low for some time. China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, threats against Taiwan and the ongoing trade war are also drawing controversy. Given the lack of communication between the two sides, experts warn of unwanted incidents and misunderstandings between the two forces that could easily escalate.

Since the scandal surrounding suspected Chinese spy balloons in February and the cancellation of a visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the dialogue has stalled. China also rejected a US request for a meeting of defense ministers. The United States had requested that its department head, Lloyd Austin, meet General Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-La security dialogue in Singapore this weekend.

In 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on the Weapons Development Department of the People’s Liberation Army and then-head Li Shangfu for weapons deals with Russia, barring them from having financial transactions and business relationships in the United States. The general was then appointed defense minister in March. China calls for sanctions to be lifted. (sda/dpa)