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China responds to US complaint over jet darting by spy plane

  • China says it won’t meet with U.S. officials over a recent plane interception
  • Chinese spokesperson: U.S. should stop “these dangerous provocations”
  • Secretary of State Blinken: “Regrettable” that Beijing rejected meeting request

In this image from video provided by the U.S. Navy, a Chinese J-16 fighter flys aggressively close to a U.S. RC-135 aircraft flying in international airspace over the South China Sea on Friday, May 26, 2023. In a statement, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the Chinese J-16 fighter pilot “flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135.” It called the Chinese move an ” unnecessarily aggressive maneuver.” (U.S. Navy via AP)

 

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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Bejing responded on Wednesday to complaints from the U.S. about a Chinese fighter jet’s dangerous interception of a U.S. Air Force plane in international airspace over the South China Sea by demanding an end to such flights. 

The incident adds to military, diplomatic and economic tensions between the two countries over U.S. support for self-governing Taiwan, China’s refusal to engage in dialogue between their armed forces, and Beijing’s flying of a suspected spy balloon over the U.S.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a daily briefing that China would keep taking measures it deems necessary to safeguard its sovereignty.

“The U.S. should immediately stop these dangerous provocations,” Mao said.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command called the Chinese plane’s actions an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver,” adding to complaints that China’s military has become significantly more aggressive over the past five years, intercepting U.S. aircraft and ships in the region.

In a statement Tuesday, the U.S. military said the pilot of the Chinese J-16 fighter jet flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135 conducting routine operations in international airspace last Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the plane incident showed why it is vital for the U.S. and China to maintain dialogue at a senior level in order to prevent miscommunication and avoid miscalculations that could lead to conflict. He said it was “regrettable” that Beijing had rejected U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s request for a meeting with the Chinese defense minister.

“I think it only underscores why it is so important that we have regular, open lines of communication, including, by the way, between our defense ministers,” Blinken said at a news conference at the end of an EU-US trade and technology meeting in Lulea, Sweden.

Further dampening prospects for a reduction in tensions, China said its defense chief will not meet with Austin when the two men attend a security conference in Singapore over the weekend.

In a statement to NewsNation, a Chinese embassy spokesperson partly blamed U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials, saying,” The U.S. side should immediately lift sanctions and take concrete actions to remove obstacles, create favorable atmosphere and conditions for dialogue and communication.”

In regard to the Chinese fighter jet’s maneuver over the South China Sea, the embassy said the U.S. aircraft was spying on China, and the U.S. provoked the action.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

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