US and Chinese fighter jets engaged in a brief aerial standoff over waters near the Korean Peninsula this week, according to South Korean media, in a rare and dangerous incident that underscores ongoing simmering tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Yonhap, citing military sources, reported thatChina scrambled aircraft on Wednesday after roughly 10 US jets took off from an American airbasein South Korea for planned drills. The US had reportedly filed its flight plan in advance.
F-16 fighters assigned to US Forces Korea (USFK) launched from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, andflew near the overlapping air defense identification zones (ADIZ) of South Korea and China. The US aircraft did not enter China’s ADIZ, according to the report, but alarm bells still went off for the Chinese PLA military.
In response, "The Chinese People's Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to monitor and effectively respond to the activities throughout the process in accordance with laws and regulations," China'sGlobal Timesreported Friday.
The outlet described the episode as US warplanes operating in airspace facing China over the Yellow Sea -a move that prompted Beijing's rapid response.
"The F-16s reportedly flew to an area between the respective air defense identification zones of South Korea and China,prompting the Chinese military to dispatch its own fighter jets to the scene, but no clash occurred,"Yonhapwrites.
According to more unusual aspects to theincident:
The paper also noted an“unusual” number of US jets in the air, adding that it could suggest that the exercise had been“aimed at signaling deterrence toward China.”
Yonhap news agency said that Washington had informed Seoul of the planned mission, but did not elaborate.
China’s Global Times acknowledged the incident, saying that Beijing’s military “organized sea and air forces to conduct continuous monitoring… and effectively responded to and handled the situation.”
Source: ZeroHedge News
