China has warned the United States to end its military surveillance flights near Chinese territory, refuting claims by Washington that a Chinese fighter jet made several “dangerous” and “unprofessional” passes at a US Navy plane last week.
The US should take “concrete measures” towards ending reconnaissance operations off the coast of China if it wants to improve bilateral ties between the two countries, a spokesperson for China’s Defence Ministry, Yang Yujun, said at a regular press briefing in Beijing Thursday.
On August 19, a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Navy Poseidon patrol plane in the South China Sea about 135 miles east of the Chinese island of Hainan, coming as close as 20 feet at one point, according to the Pentagon.
The armed Chinese aircraft crossed close beneath the P-8 Poseidon three times, according to US Defence Department spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirkby, who described the manoeuvres as “pretty aggressive, very unprofessional.”
It was the fourth such incident this year, according to the Pentagon.
China pilot ‘professional’
Yang dismissed the claims Thursday, saying that the pilot had been “professional” and that “due regard” had been given to safety.
He accused the US of focusing on the distance between the aircraft during the encounter while ignoring the fact that its military had been conducting frequent surveillance missions against China, which he said was a policy issue.
“On the one hand, the US expressed their willingness to deepen a military-to-military relationship with China, but on the other hand, they are reluctant to give up these frequent close-in reconnaissance activities against China,” Yang said.
US military ships and aircraft have long been conducting “wide-ranging” surveillance activities near China, undermining Beijing’s security interests and damaging bilateral ties between the two countries, Yang said, warning that the missions could lead to “undesirable incidents.”
Yang accused the US of spying on Chinese military exercises, trainings and weapons tests in the air and at sea.
“These behaviours of US military ships and aircraft could easily cause misperception and miscalculation or even air and sea accidents. Therefore we do urge the US side to decrease these close-in reconnaissance activities against China towards a complete stop.”
He said China had expressed its concerns to the US through multiple channels, including diplomacy.
Asked how China would respond if the US failed to end its surveillance operations, Yang said the Chinese military’s future missions would be decided based on “various factors,” without elaborating further.
Yang dismissed claims by State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki Monday that US surveillance activities are conducted in a transparent manner and that other countries, including China are made aware of Washington’s plans.
“There has not been any notification to the Chinese side,” he said.
China invest your time and effort im telling Russia not to fly nuclear bombers in US airspace as if they are bombed or threatened or provoked it would end the world. Also tell the Russian neighbors of yours to end all terroristic activities inin Ukraine. Also remember the amount of spies you have in America that get caught annually before you threaten or tell the worlds number one nuclear weapon powerhouse what to do. Hypocrites have more spies than any other country.
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