Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said the U.S. will continue with surveillance flights near China despite a Jun. 29 incident whereby a Chinese Su-27 fighter crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait to pursue an American U-2.
“We won’t be deterred from flying in international airspace,” Mullen said in response to a question from a reporter.
Mullen added that the reconnaissance flights are important and it was important not to repeat what happened in 2001 when a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft collide with a Chinese fighter in mid-air.