Chinese MOD Calls for a Stop of U.S. ‘Close-In’ Surveillance Flights

China called on the U.S. military to stop its “wide in range, highly frequent and close in distance,” surveillance missions on the edge of the Chinese mainland, People’s Liberation Army officials said in a Thursday Beijing press conferences.
“These behaviors of U.S. military ships and aircraft could easily cause misperception and miscalculation or even air and sea accidents,” Yang Yujun, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense (MOD), said in response to questions.
“Therefore, we do urge the U.S. side to decrease these close-in reconnaissance activities against China towards a complete stop.”
Yang said the U.S. ships and aircraft “often [show] up without being invited or even broke in our exercise or training zones which have been announced in advance.”
The most recent comments follow an incident in which a Chinese Shenyang J-11BH fighter buzzed a P-8A Poseidon off the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea on Aug. 19.
The fighter, “made several passes, three different occasions, crossed under the aircraft with one pass having only 50-100 feet separation,” Rear Adm. John Kirby said on Aug. 22.
“The Chinese jet also passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly toward the P-8 Poseidon, we believe to make a point of showing its weapons load-out.”
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