Xi Jinping's official has hit back at the U.S. after the Pentagon accused a Chinese fighter pilot of performing an "unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" near an American surveillance aircraft operating over the South China Sea last week.
What Happened: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday criticized Washington for its hypocrisy and alleged that they had engaged in similar “dangerous acts,” reported Sky News Australia.
“The U.S. side has frequently sent aircraft and vessels to conduct close-in reconnaissance on China, seriously threatening China’s sovereignty and security,” she said.
“Such provocative and dangerous moves are the root cause for maritime security issues.”
“The U.S. needs to immediately stop such dangerous acts of provocation. We will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our sovereignty and security.”
This came after the U.S. on Tuesday released footage that showed a Chinese J-16 fighter pilot unnecessarily intimidating a U.S. Air Force RC-135 surveillance plane by soaring close to its nose.
A senior U.S. defense official said there had been an "alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea" by Chinese aircraft and ships.
"We don't believe it's done by pilots operating independently," the official said, adding, "We believe it's part of a wider pattern."
This is not the first time where Chinese fighter jets have employed intimidation tactics. In December last year, a similar incident involving a Chinese jet and a US RC-135 took place, forcing the U.S. army "to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision."
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