At a roundtable hosted by the Defense Writers Group, commander of Pacific Air Forces, Gen. Lori Robinson revealed the transcript of radio messages between Chinese air traffic control on Spratly Islands and U.S. Air Force B-52s flying overhead during the weekend of Nov. 8 and 9.
By Danrok (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The first message from Chinese ATC was: “You have violated my reef. Change your course to avoid misjudgment.”
Minutes later, a second message was broadcast again: “You’re violating the security of my reef. Change course to avoid misjudgment.”
One of the crew members then responded: “I’m a United States military aircraft conducting lawful military activities in international airspace, and exercising these rights is guaranteed by international law. In exercising these rights as guaranteed by international law, I am operating with due regard to the right and duties of all states.”
Transmissions between both sides ended after that.
Robinson said the bombers flew around the Second Thomas Shoal and Mischief Reef.