US, Chinese aircraft in ‘unsafe’ encounter over S China Sea
BEIJING — The US Pacific Command says a Chinese jet and a US Navy patrol plane had an “unsafe” encounter over the South China Sea this week, raising concerns.
Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this file still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy on May 21, 2015. Photo: Reuters
BEIJING — The US Pacific Command says a Chinese jet and a US Navy patrol plane had an “unsafe” encounter over the South China Sea this week, raising concerns.
Pacific Command spokesman Robert Shuford said Friday (Feb 10) that the “interaction” between a Chinese KJ-200 early warning aircraft and a US Navy P-3C plane took place on Wednesday in international airspace over the waters. He did not say what was unsafe about the encounter.
Mr Shuford says the US plane was on a routine mission and operating according to international law.
He said the Department of Defence and the Pacific Command “are always concerned about unsafe interactions with Chinese military forces”.
The Chinese defence ministry has not responded to a faxed request for comment. AP
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