US accuses Chinese pilot of ‘aggressive maneuver’ near US plane

Pentagon: pilots from China act according to the scheme approved from above

The US military accused the Chinese pilot of performing an “aggressive maneuver” near the US aircraft. The incident was the latest in a season of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing this year.

Last week, a Chinese fighter jet pilot performed an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” near a US surveillance aircraft flying over the South China Sea, according to the US military.

The incident, which the Pentagon says is part of China’s pattern of behavior, comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over issues such as Taiwan and alleged Chinese air a spy balloon that was shot down after flying over the United States earlier this year.

The Chinese aircraft “flyed directly in front of the RC-135 and within 400 feet of its nose, forcing the US aircraft through wake turbulence” on Friday, the US Indo-Pacific Command (IndoPaCom) said in a statement.

“The RC-135 was performing safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace in accordance with international law,” the US command said.

Declassified footage shows a Chinese fighter jet flying in front of an American plane, which is seen shaking from the resulting turbulence.

A senior US Department of Defense official said there had been “an alarming increase in high-risk aerial interceptions and maritime engagements” by Chinese aircraft and ships – actions that “have the potential to lead to an unsafe incident or miscalculation.”

“We don’t believe this is being done by pilots operating independently,” the Pentagon official said. “We believe this is part of a larger scheme.”

A similar incident involving a Chinese jet and a US RC-135 occurred in December, forcing the US aircraft to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision,” Indo-Pacific Command said at the time.

The announcement of the latest incident comes a day after the Pentagon said Beijing had turned down an invitation from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart in Singapore later this week.

But a senior official said the timing of the announcement was unrelated to China’s refusal of the invitation, explaining that the incident with the aircraft was “subject to the declassification process by the US military and the US diplomatic communication process.”

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and other US officials are working to bolster alliances and partnerships in Asia as part of efforts to counter Beijing’s increasingly assertive moves, but there are also tentative signs that both sides are working to bring temperatures down.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi met in Vienna earlier this month, with President Joe Biden later saying ties between Washington and Beijing should thaw “very soon.”