Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of B-52 bomber over South China Sea, says US military

A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber during its flight over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the US military said. This incident underscored the risk of mishaps as both nations compete for influence in the region. China has been asserting its claims over the majority of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, a stance rejected by the U.S. and other nations that rely on this expansive ocean for shipping purposes. “We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision,” the military said. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a similar incident in May, the Chinese government dismissed American complaints and demanded that Washington end such flights over the South China Sea. China’s claims have led to longstanding territorial disputes with other countries in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest trade routes. A Chinese coast guard ship and an accompanying vessel last week rammed a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat off a contested shoal in the waterway. Following that incident, President Joe Biden renewed a warning that the U.S. would be obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, aircraft or vessels come under armed attack. He spoke in a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday at the White House. China reacted by saying the U.S. has no right to interfere in Beijing’s disputes with Manila. “The U.S. defence commitment to the Philippines should not undermine China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, nor should it support the illegal claims of the Philippines,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday in a news conference in Beijing. The U.S. and its allies regularly conduct maritime maneuvers in the South China Sea, and also regularly fly aircraft over the area to emphasize that the waters and airspace are international. The B-52 was “lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace” when it was intercepted by the J-11 on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. Intercepts are common, with the U.S. saying that there have been more than 180 such incidents since the fall of 2021. They are not often as close as Tuesday’s incident, however, and with tensions already high between Beijing and Washington, a collision would have had the potential to lead to an escalation. The U.S. military said in its statement that the incident will not change its approach. “The U.S. will continue to fly, sail and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international laws allow,” the military said. Meanwhile, South Korean and US troops have started live-fire exercises this week to hone their ability to respond to potential “Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks” by North Korea, South Korea’s military said Friday. The two forces regularly conduct live-fire and other training, but this week’s drills come after Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel raised security jitters in South Korea, which shares the world’s most heavily fortified border with rival North Korea. Experts say the North’s forward-deployed long-range artillery guns can fire about 16,000 rounds per hour in the event of a conflict, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is about 40-50 kilometres (25-30 miles) from the border. The three-day firing exercises, which began Wednesday, involved 5,400 South Korean and U.S. soldiers, 300 artillery systems, 1,000 vehicles and air force assets, according to South Korea’s military. In a simulated response to “the enemy’s (possible) Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks,” the exercises practised strikes designed to “remove the origins of the enemy’s long-range artillery provocations at an early date,” South Korea’s Ground Operations Command said in a statement. North Korea didn’t immediately react to the drills. It typically views major U.S.-South Korean military training as invasion rehearsals and responds with missile tests. South Korea and the United States have been expanding their regular military drills in the face of North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. Since last year, North Korea has carried out more than 100 missile tests, some of them simulated nuclear attacks on South Korea and the U.S. With inputs from AP.