US criticizes dangerous Chinese helicopter maneuvers in the South Chinese sea
US criticizes dangerous Chinese helicopter maneuvers in the South Chinese sea
Seoul, South Korea - On Tuesday there was a dangerous incident in the South China Sea when a Chinese military helicopter flew 3 meters from a Filipino Patrouilla plane. Observers rated this as the second incident within a week that potentially shows catastrophic behavior of the People's Liberation Army against foreign aircraft.
Details of the incident
The incident was documented by a reporter of the Associated Press, which was on board the one-engine Cessna-Caravan aircraft, which is operated by the Filipino for Fishing and Maritime Resources. The plane patrolled near the Scarborough Shoal, an uninhabited rock about 222 kilometers west of the main island of the Philippines.
China's control over Scarborough Shoal
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Scarborough Shoal, which is located in a fish -rich area, has been controlled by China since 2012, although it is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. During the approximately 30-minute incident, the Filipino aircraft's pilot warned the Chinese helicopter with the words: "They fly too close, that is very dangerous and puts the life of our crew and passengers in danger."
reactions to the incident
The US ambassador in Manila, Marykay Carlson, who has a defense alliance with the Philippines, condemned the "dangerous" maneuvers of the Chinese helicopter. In a contribution to X, she also asked China to "refrain from coercive measures and to regulate his differences peacefully in accordance with international law." An explanation of the southern command of the PLA said that the Chinese helicopter had sold the Filipino aircraft from "China's territorial airspace" and had seriously injured China's sovereignty.
previous incidents
The incident on Tuesday was followed by a similar between an Australian military P-8 reconnaissance plane and PLA fighting jets last week. Australia reported that the Chinese jets fired flares within 30 meters of their aircraft. Analysts pointed out that these fluorescent rockets could cause catastrophic damage if they enter the p-8 engines. "You could have hit our P-8, which would have caused considerable damage to our plane and obviously puts our crew's life in danger," said Australian deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
China's expansive claims in the South China Sea
As with the incident with the Philippines, the Chinese military, a foreign aircraft that penetrated into Chinese airspace, in this case over the Xisha Islands, also called Paracel Islands. Beijing claims "undeniable sovereignty" over almost the entire 1.3 million square miles in the South China Sea and most of the islands and sandbanks in it, including many features that are hundreds of kilometers from mainland china. In addition to the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also have competitive claims.
increasing concern about dangerous incidents
In recent years there have been potentially dangerous incidents between Chinese and foreign aircraft over the South China Sea. Most recently, there were reports of similar incidents with Australian and Filipino aircraft as well as with representatives of the USA and Canada, all of which speak of international airspace. However, the two latest incidents within a few than a week fuel the fears that Beijing may be more aggressive in enforcing its controversial claims, while the attention of the United States - a federal defense federal partner of the Philippines, Australia and Canadas - is directed at the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East.China's strategy in the region
"China sees that the Trump administration focuses on other conflicts and estimates that the right time is now to promote the escalation in East Asia, while America is otherwise distracted," said Ray Powell, director of Sealight, a maritime transparency project at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Inford University. "Beijing follows a well -known pattern of gradual escalation. The goal is to normalize its aggression to an ever higher level, so that they are accepted over time and dismissed as a normal price for shops in controversial areas."
China's military activities around Taiwan
ADM. Samuel Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific command, said at a forum in Hawaii last week that China uses similar "gray zones" tactics around the Democratic Island of Taiwan, which is used by Beijing. Chinese military aircraft and naval units operate near Taiwan every day. "Your aggressive maneuvers around Taiwan are currently not exercises that you call them. They are rehearsals for the forced association of Taiwans with the mainland," said Paparo at the Honolulu Defense Forum last week.
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