MADRID, May 31. (EUROPEAN PRESS) –
The United States Armed Forces accused Chinese authorities on Tuesday of “unnecessarily aggressive” military maneuvers over the South China Sea.
The United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) has indicated that last Friday a Chinese fighter pilot performed an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” during the interception of a US Air Force aircraft.
According to the INDOPACOM statement, the Chinese pilots “flew directly” in front of the US plane, forcing the US plane to fly through its turbulence. Thus, he emphasized that US warplanes “conducted safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace.”
In this regard, he added that INDOPACOM “will continue to fly in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all ships and aircraft in accordance with International Law.” “We hope that all countries in the Indo-Pacific region will use international airspace safely,” the letter read.
China maintains territorial disputes with several countries in the region — such as Vietnam or the Philippines — because it sees Beijing as having “indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and adjacent waters.” Significant hydrocarbon reserves are found on the continental shelf of these islands, especially in the Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands), Nansha (Spratly Islands) and Huangyan (Scarborough Reef).
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