Close Sino-US military aircraft encounter near Hong Kong raises crash fears
Safety could be compromised if fighter jets fly at higher altitudes and both sides refuse to make concessions, analyst says
An encounter between Chinese and US military aircraft in international airspace just 240km southeast of Hong Kong has raised concerns about civil aviation safety.
The Pentagon said yesterday that two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a US Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea on Wednesday.
Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said the US aircraft was probably monitoring a Chinese submarine base on Shangchuan Island in Taishan, Guangdong, about 130km from Hong Kong.
“It’s quite rare for US surveillance aircraft to fly so close to Hong Kong on an intelligence mission. I am afraid these kinds of unexpected encounters will happen more frequently,” Wong said.
US officials said initial reports indicated the US P-3 Orion surveillance plane was in international airspace 240km southeast of Hong Kong when the two Chinese J-10 fighters carried out the “unsafe intercept”. One J-10 flew within 200 metres in front of the US plane, restricting its ability to manoeuvre.