Chinese fighter pilots increase their interception of US allies in the Indo-Pacific as the US does reconnaissance missions near the coastline of China.
There are fears of a repeat of 2001 when a Chinese and its allies could start another war by mistake.
Chinese Fighter Intercepts US Allies Over the Pacific
A few days ago, it was reported that Chinese warplanes buzzed a Canadian reconnaissance plane surveilling North Korea on a routine basis, compelling the crew to adjust course to avoid making contact rapidly, reported the EurAsian Times.
Later, a Chinese plane fired metallic chaff at an Australian intelligence-gathering plane, a move Australia discussed as very dangerous.
The west protested the actions of the PLAAF, but Chinese officials asserted that their pilots acted reasonably and were trying to defend the country's sovereignty, lauding their decision to act quickly, sanely, firmly, and professionally.
These aggressive tactics used by Chinese fighter pilots are the kindling that could start a fire at a larger conflict and endanger regional security for the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.
The difficulty is these acts might result in a mid-air collision or crash.
This sort of thing has happened before. A Chinese fighter jet collided with a US Navy reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea in 2001.
After that, the American EP-3E Aries II had to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island. The incident resulted in the death of the Chinese pilot, cited Aviation Geek Club.
For 11 days, the American crew was held captive in China. After lengthy negotiations and the delivery of a letter from the US apologizing for the pilot's death, the communist government finally agreed to their release.
The Chinese aviator was awarded posthumously with the title 'Guardian of Territorial Airspace and Waters.' The day the pilot died on April 1 is remembered by China.
US, Chinese Officials Meet
Last Friday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe discussed in Singapore the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The Asiatic defense conference was held for the two officials to discuss the need to communicate and lessen risk in the Pacific region.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting held on Saturday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized China for a sequence of coercive, confrontational, and potentially deadly activities that diminished Asia's stability, just as the heat of the US-China rivalry seemed to be cooling, noted CNN.
Austin added that the US would stand up with partners in the face of pressure. Furthermore, Political intimidation, economic coercion, or harassment by maritime militias should not be tolerated in the Indo-Pacific that was added in the Shangri-La Dialogue.
He referenced several examples of how China is imposing its will on its neighbors, including sending large numbers of planes into the skies over Taiwan, dangerously intercepting US partners' patrol planes, and illegal fishing operations.
Washington considers Beijing belligerent due to its activities in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
China and Russia had conducted drills during the visit, and the PLAAF did exercises close to Taiwan.
Reports Chinese fighter pilots are getting more intense as they ward off the allies in the Indo-Pacific; also fears that the US is trying to escalate turmoil in the region just like Ukraine.
