Encounters between Chinese military planes and U.S. military aircraft have increased dramatically because of aggressive tactics on the part of Chinese pilots, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, which released previously classified images and videos to back up its claims.
“Since the fall of 2021, we have seen more than 180 such incidents,” said Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner in a statement accompanied by visual evidence. “More in the past two years than in the decade before that. That’s nearly 200 cases where PLA operators have performed reckless maneuvers, or discharged chaff, or shot off flares, or approached too rapidly or too close to U.S. aircraft.”
Ratner blamed such encounters on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) while asserting that U.S. forces have behaved in accordance with international law. He claimed China was trying to interfere with the United States’ ability to operate safely in the skies.
He also said that when encounters with U.S. allies are included, “the number increases to nearly 300 cases … over the last two years.”
The Department of Defense released videos and images purporting to demonstrate the unsafe behavior of PLA fighters when they have been encountered.
One video shows a PLA fighter flying beside a U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea, banking to allegedly show its armaments. According to the Department of Defense, the U.S. pilot radioed the PLA pilot, who proceeded to use explicit language in response.
The department release included videos of multiple intercepts of U.S. planes by PLA fighters that the department said were coercive and dangerous. In one such video, the PLA plane flies close to the nose of the U.S. plane, forcing the U.S. aircraft to fly through the other plane’s wake turbulence.
In another, a PLA fighter deployed eight flares at a dangerous distance from a U.S. aircraft.
The Dallas Express reached out to Chinese officials for comment, who provided a statement through a spokesperson for the People’s Republic of China. Liu Pengyu stated:
“In response to the provocative acts of the U.S. side and other countries, the Chinese side has taken necessary measures in accordance with laws and regulations. We hope the relevant parties can respect the facts and stop spreading disinformation. The U.S. military vessels and aircraft conduct frequent close-in reconnaissance on China, including 657 sorties last year in the South China Sea alone. We hope the U.S. side can refrain from taking adventurist or provocative moves and stop undermining China’s national security and regional peace and stability.”