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A Chinese fighter jet came within 500 feet of a United States Navy plane lying over the South China Sea after issuing a threat to Americans patrolling the area on Friday (February 24).
“No approaching any more or you will pay full responsibility,” said a voice from China’s air force ground station via NBC News.
Shortly after, a Chinese J-11 fighter jet came within 500 feet of the left wing of an American P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for more than one hour as it flew over uninhabited islands claimed by both China and neighboring countries. U.S. officials said incidents similar to Friday are becoming more frequent as both Beijing and Washington officials attempt to increase their influence in the Pacific, specifically with the South China Sea serving as an increasingly prominent stage as tension rises between the two countries, which have had numerous recent conflicts over Taiwan and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
U.S. Navy officers inside the plane were stationed at around a half-dozen computer stations and analyzed radar images set outside of the aircraft as it flew around the Paracel Islands across the South China Sea before eventually returning to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. Capt. Will Toraason, the commander of the U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft, told NBC News that the branch will "communicate with" Chinese officials once their plane comes within 1,000 feet of a U.S. aircraft.
“Typically we don’t get a response, sometimes we’ll get nonverbal responses. But overall we’re trying to encourage a safe and professional encounter while we’re both operating in international airspace,” Toraason said.