In a recent incident over the South China Sea, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber conducting routine operations in international airspace was subjected to an unsafe intercept by a People’s Republic of China (PRC) J-11 fighter jet. The encounter, which occurred on Oct. 24, has raised significant concerns about international air safety and norms.
The nighttime intercept witnessed the PRC pilot displaying questionable airmanship by flying perilously close to the B-52, prompting fears of a midair collision. According to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the Chinese pilot not only executed this maneuver in an unsafe and unprofessional manner but also violated international air safety rules and norms.
This incident represents yet another example of what the Pentagon described in its 2023 China Military Power Report (CMPR) as a series of “unsafe, unprofessional, and other behaviors that seek to impinge upon the ability of the United States and other nations to safely conduct operations where international law allows.” This includes more than 180 similar interactions since the fall of 2021, depicting a pattern of confrontational behavior.
Additionally, on Oct. 17, the Department declassified a collection of images and videos that highlighted a dangerous trend of coercive and risky operational behavior by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) against U.S. aircraft operating lawfully in international airspace, particularly in the East and South China Sea regions. This surge in such encounters has become a growing concern, especially considering Beijing’s reluctance to engage in military-to-military communication channels aimed at preventing such incidents.
The Pentagon’s recent annual report on China’s military power revealed alarming statistics concerning China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in the Pacific. In the past two years, the Chinese military has conducted more than 180 risky intercepts of U.S. spy planes, surpassing the total number recorded in the previous decade. When considering similar encounters with U.S. allies and partners, this number rises to nearly 300. Experts suggest that China’s more assertive actions in the Pacific aim to assert dominance in a region it seeks to control.
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