Last week, a Chinese war plane flew within 20 feet of a United States Air Force airplane in the South China Sea, demonstrating China’s aggressive military stance.
According to US Indo-Pacific Command, a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft was forced to take evasive action on Dec. 21 to avoid colliding with a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy J-11 fighter jet.
“The PLAN pilot flew a dangerous maneuver by flying directly in front of and inside of 20 feet from the nose of the RC-135, compelling the RC-135 to take evasive action to prevent a collision,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command revealed, adding, “The U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force is committed to an open and free Indo-Pacific area and will continue flying, sailing and operating at sea and also in international airspace with consideration for the safety of all aircraft and vessels under the international law. We will expect all nations in the Indo-Pacific area to use international airspace in a safe and legal manner.”
“We have noticed an alarming rise in the number of dangerous aerial intercepts as well as confrontations at sea by PLA aircraft and vessels,” said a spokesperson for the US Indo-Pacific Command. “As a result, this current event shows a troubling trend of risky and dangerous intercept operations by the PLA, which is of considerable concern to the US.”
According to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, 71 Chinese airplanes were observed flying around Taiwan, doing military exercises, four days after the near-miss for both the Chinese fighter jet and the American Air Force airplane.
The PLA said that China was conducting a “strike drill” in reaction to “provocation” and “collusion” between Taiwan and the United States.
“71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN boats were observed around Taiwan around 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today,” the Taiwan Defense Ministry tweeted. “The Republic of the Congo Armed Forces have been monitoring the situation and have tasked CAP planes, Naval vessels, and ground missile systems to respond to these activities.”
According to Express, Chinese Communist President Xi Jinping said in early November that his country would focus on war preparations. The communist leader raised security worries, warning that the situation was becoming “increasingly unpredictable and unknown.”
“As a first priority, Western countries must start the process of eradicating all Chinese influence from essential areas like water, energy, and nuclear power,” Mendoza added. “We must therefore promptly begin the process of disconnecting China from many of our most critical supply chain networks and begin developing new ones with like-minded partner countries.”
