Last Tuesday, a Chinese fighter pilot flew acrobatic maneuvers around the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine and reconnaissance plane, crossing over and under it in international airspace over the South China Sea, the Pentagon said.
At one point, the jet flew wingtip-to-wingtip about 10 yards (nine meters) from the Poseidon, then performed a barrel roll over the top of it. The U.S. defense official said other close intercepts occurred in March, April and May.
While this week's discussions at the Pentagon were planned long before the recent incidents, they touch on issues at the core of the U.S. concerns about Chinese military behavior: that a Chinese provocation could spiral into a broader crisis sparked by a military miscalculation in the disputed territory.
- China's sovereignty claims over the strategic stretch of mineral-rich water off its southern coast and to the east of mainland Southeast Asia set it directly against U.S. allies Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts of the disputed areas.
25/8/14
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China has brought up a question concerning the US Air Force flights limitation in international airspace, Pentagon spokesperson Jeffrey Pool said Thursday...
ReplyDeleteHe said that Chinese military raised the topic during talks held this week in Beijing. "China did raise the issue of restricting US operations in international airspace," Pool told Reuters.
He said that "both sides discussed their positions".
Pentagon spokesman stressed that Washington “have consistently opposed any Chinese proposals that would limit US operations in the air or sea” in international space. According to him, “it places US alliances at risk.”
As Pool noted, the discussion unfolded in connection with the incident on August 19 when Chinese Air Force intercepted an American Boeing P-8 Poseidon spy plane. This happened in international airspace over the South China Sea 217 km to the east of Hainan Island.
The US government brought this item to the attention of the Chinese government. The Pentagon has accused Beijing that the interception was made in a dangerous and unprofessional way, warning that the situation could have a negative impact on military cooperation between the two countries.
China-US agreements
On November 12 it was reported that the USA and China are going to sign two agreements that will help them to sidestep miscommunication between armed forces.
One of the agreements envisages creation of a mechanism that will allow the parties to inform each other about major maneuvers, military exercises. The second document sets out the conduct standards for the militaries meeting at sea or in the air.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/759815
14/11/14