The Pentagon has released footage of over 180 intercepts of US warplanes by Chinese aircraft in the last two years. This is more than the total amount over the past decade, raising concerns among US military officials. The photos and video were released ahead of the upcoming annual report on China’s military power and its potential security threats to partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Chinese flights were characterized as risky and aggressive, but officials stopped short of labeling them as “unsafe” except in the most severe cases. However, the footage was released to highlight the behavior as part of a larger trend of regional intimidation by China that could inadvertently lead to conflict.
Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, stated, “All of these examples we’ve released today underscore the coercive intent of [China] by engaging in behaviors, particularly in international airspace. The bottom line is that in many cases, this type of operational behavior can cause active and dangerous accidents and can lead inadvertently to conflict.”
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Adm. John Aquilino, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, assured that despite the ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, the command has the necessary resources to deter China. He stated, “I haven’t had one piece of equipment or force structure depart from my command. We have been taking a number of steps to strengthen our commitment to the region, strengthen our deterrence in the region, and we will continue to do that.”
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