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The Chinese military has stepped up its aggressive crackdown on U.S. reconnaissance aircraft in the Pacific, carrying out more than 180 risky interception missions in the past two years, the Pentagon said, already more than in the previous decade.
Since fall 2021, Chinese Air Force and Navy fighter pilots have flown within 15 feet of U.S. jets, dropped chaff and even waved the middle finger in a brazen display of intimidation, officials said.
When close air encounters by allies and partners are included, the number rises to nearly 300, they said.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon previously released non-public videos and photos of more than a dozen such maneuvers over the East and South China Seas, reviewed by The Washington Post, in which Chinese warplanes harassed unarmed U.S. reconnaissance aircraft lawfully operating in international airspace patrolled.
In January, an American RC-135 was flying over the South China Sea when a Chinese J-11 fighter jet, firing two missiles on each wing, quickly approached to within about 30 feet and lingered for more than 15 minutes.
In May last year, a Chinese fighter jet barreled toward a Navy EP-3 spy plane patrolling the East China Sea and flew under the plane’s nose, causing the American pilot to lose visual contact, according to the Pentagon. It then approached again to within 15 feet of the side and passed just below the U.S. plane, as shown in a video.
Last May, a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to an American military aircraft over the East China Sea. (Video: Ministry of Defense)
In another incident in June 2022, a Chinese fighter jet repeatedly flew over and under a US reconnaissance aircraft while displaying its weapons. When the American pilot made radio contact with the Chinese fighter jet, it responded in English with “F— off,” according to the US Air Force’s Pentagon statement.
“It’s harassment, plain and simple,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, a former fighter pilot who led air operations in the Pacific in the mid-2000s. He complained about the close approach, which could lead to a misjudgment and a collision. “There is absolutely no need for this in international airspace.”
Deptula recalled how in April 2001, a Chinese fighter jet collided with a Navy EP-3, the Chinese pilot died and the US plane with 24 crew had to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island, resulting in an international incident. The Americans were detained and interrogated by Chinese authorities for 11 days before being released. This incident is seared into the memories of US military aviators and illustrates the tragic consequences that aggressive and unprofessional flight control can have.
Newly released footage shows a Chinese fighter jet coming dangerously close to an American military aircraft and firing flares over the East China Sea. (Video: Ministry of Defense)
The significant increase in risky encounters with China is concerning because it undermines the ability of the United States and other nations to safely conduct patrols in international airspace, senior military and defense officials say.
“Since the fall of 2021, we have seen a significant increase in actions that brought their aircraft much closer to U.S. aircraft,” including in “higher risk” operations such as aerial refueling, Admiral said. John C. Aquilino, a graduate of the Navy’s Top Gun advanced combat school and now commander of all U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific.
Allies and partners experienced similar aggression, he said. Last year, a Chinese J-16 fighter sliced open the nose of an Australian P-8 patrol plane, releasing a ball of chaff that was picked up by the P-8’s jet engine.
“These measures are simply unacceptable,” Aquilino said. “And they are not in accordance with international law.”
In a statement indirectly referring to the United States, Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said: “[A] A certain non-regional country has attempted to foment unrest and confrontation in the South China Sea and threaten peace and stability in the region. China has always resisted.” He said that China and Southeast Asian countries are trying to develop a “code of conduct in the South China Sea” and that “countries outside the region must respect it.” [those] efforts.”
A Chinese fighter jet flew under the nose of an American military aircraft over the South China Sea, causing the US plane to fly through wake turbulence. (Video: Ministry of Defense)
China’s bolder behavior is an apparent attempt to persuade the U.S. military to withdraw in a region Beijing is seeking to dominate, analysts and officials said. This is part of a broader push to counter what China sees as an unwelcome expansion of military and security coordination by Washington and its allies in the region under the Biden administration.
In the last two years, Washington has risen to the executive level “Quad” security partnership with Australia, Japan and India, widely seen as a counterweight to Beijing. It has also strengthened its alliance with Japan – which is buying US Tomahawk cruise missiles and developing its own counter-strike capabilities – and bringing South Korea into a trilateral security relationship between the three countries. The Biden administration has expanded access to military bases in the Philippines, including several in the north near Taiwan, and struck a deal with Australia and Britain to supply Australia with nuclear submarines.
Annoyed by China, the United States and its allies are strengthening their defenses in the Pacific
“What you’re seeing in all of this activity is a series game,” said Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security. “This is pure intimidation on the part of China. They seek to increase the risk and cost of operations in areas close to what they consider to be their sphere of influence.”
Aquilino said: “Just so we’re clear. … The pressure we see comes only from that [People’s Republic of China]. Their goal is to drive the United States out of the region. And that’s just not going to happen.”
The release of images and videos comes as the Pentagon prepares to release its annual report on China’s military power. Last year highlighted a “sharp increase” in unsafe and unprofessional behavior by the Chinese military in the Indo-Pacific region. How dramatic this is will be noticed this year International airspace has increased over the past two years – an increase that the Pentagon says threatens regional stability.
China’s military is far more powerful today than it was a decade or two ago. And although the push to modernize its armed forces began in the 1990s, it has gained momentum in the last decade, coinciding with Xi Jinping’s rise to power and increasing aggressive and coercive actions in the region.
During the Biden administration, the Chinese military has rebuffed every attempt by senior Pentagon officials to enter into dialogue. In the past, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been able to raise concerns about his operational behavior with his then counterpart, General Wei Fenghe. Earlier this year, that collaboration was halted, officials said.
In February, when a U.S. warplane shot down a Chinese spy balloon apparently attempting to monitor military bases on the U.S. mainland, Wei refused to take a call from Austin. Wei’s successor, Gen. Li Shangfu, who is reportedly facing corruption investigations and has not been seen in public since late August, has declined any invitation to meet with Austin, officials said.
Chinese balloon is part of extensive aerial surveillance program, US says
Experts point out that US Navy and Air Force surveillance aircraft flying in international airspace, as well as Chinese aircraft, have the right to patrol. But they must do so in a safe manner.
The United States and China signed a memorandum of understanding in 2014 establishing rules for safe conduct during air and sea encounters. It was updated in 2015. The behavior of the Chinese pilots in the videos violates the agreement, which clarifies that military aircraft should ensure “safe separation” and avoid “reckless maneuvers” and “actions that impair the capabilities of the opposing side. Military aircraft can be maneuvered safely.” This Releasing items like chaff falls into the latter category, military officials say.
“At various levels, we are seeing more aggressive operations by the PLA, reflecting its increased military capability, greater confidence in conducting operations and a more bellicose foreign policy from Xi Jinping,” said Thomas Shugart, an independent military analyst and former analyst at the Office of Net Assessment of the Pentagon, which uses the abbreviation for China’s People’s Liberation Army.
He notes that China has asserted a “broad claim” that it has the right to regulate military and economic activities within an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles outside its territorial seas, which includes airspace. The claim is not recognized by the United States, he said.
Last month, the Chinese military sent more than 100 fighter jets and nine ships into the Taiwan Strait in a single day. It marked the largest such incursion in three years as Beijing stepped up its threats against Taiwan, an island democracy that China claims as its own. Forty of the planes crossed the “central line,” an unofficial maritime border between Taiwan and China that had helped maintain stability in the 110-mile-wide strait for years.
Beijing is increasingly ignoring the middle line, sending deployments closer to Taiwan and using “gray zone” tactics – short of hostilities – to deplete and intimidate Taiwan’s smaller military.
The increased pace of China’s insecure interception efforts is “very concerning,” said Jacqueline Deal, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, “because they are likely trying to accustom the United States and Taiwan to aggressive operations and make them more difficult to recognize.” “when an exercise becomes a first act of war”.
Regardless of the PLA’s behavior, Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security, said in a statement to The Post: “We will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.”