A Chinese military aircraft came in close proximity with the US jet over the South China Sea last week and forced the American jet to make unsafe evasive manoeuvres to avoid a collision, the US military said.
The incident is said to have taken place on December 21, when a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet came within 3 meters of US RC-135 aircraft, a US Air Force reconnaissance plane with about 30 people on board, the Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement on Thursday.
“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” it added.
The Indo-Pacific command is responsible for overseeing US military operations in the contested South China Sea region.
The US military claimed that the Chinese jet performed an “unsafe manoeuvre”, forcing the US jet to take evasive measures to avoid it. It also shared a video of the Chinese jet being in close proximity to the US recon aircraft.
Belarus summons Ukraine envoy over air defence missile
A US military spokesperson told Reuters news agency that the Chinese jet came within 10 feet of the plane’s wing, but 20 feet from its nose.
“The RC-135 was in international airspace over the South China Sea and was lawfully conducting routine operations,” the statement said.
The US has raised the issue through diplomatic and military channels through lines of communication with the Chinese government.
“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 statement said.
China claims South China Sea as part of its territorial waters, though US does not recognise these territorial claims and routinely conducts operations there.
It has been vying for freedom of navigation operations through the South China Sea and regularly engages with countries in the Indo-Pacific region to press with its objective.
