LOOKING FOR TROUBLE: America's "Strategic Ambiguity"

A senior US defense official said there has been an “alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea” by Chinese aircraft and ships – actions that “have the potential to create an unsafe incident or miscalculation”. 

• The announcement came a day after China refused a US invitation for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to meet his Chinese counterpart in Singapore this week.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called on Beijing to agree to greater communication after the fighter jet incident.

“I think it only underscores why it is so important that we have regular, open lines of communication including, by the way, between our defence ministers,” Blinken told reporters on a visit to Sweden.

Beijing said the US was “entirely responsible for the current difficulties in exchanges between the two militaries”.

“On the one hand, the United States keeps saying that it wants to strengthen communication,” Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Wednesday. “But on the other hand, it ignores China’s concerns and artificially creates obstacles, seriously undermining mutual trust between the two militaries.”

‘Provocative, dangerous’: China blames US for air confrontation

Incident between planes over the South China Sea the latest in a series of confrontations between Chinese and US militaries.

Video Duration 01 minutes 01 seconds01:01

China blames US 'provocation' for fighter jet incident

Published On 31 May 202331 May 2023

China has blamed a US “provocation” for an incident in which a Chinese plane crossed in front of an American surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea.

“The United States’ long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China’s national sovereignty and security,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

KEEP READING

list of 4 items

list 1 of 4

US denounces China’s ‘aggressive’ manoeuvre over South China Sea

list 2 of 4

Chinese military says US ship ‘warned’ away in South China Sea

list 3 of 4

US gets new Philippine bases with South China Sea, Taiwan in mind

list 4 of 4

US says China intimidates Philippine vessels in South China Sea

end of list

“This kind of provocative, dangerous activity is the cause of the security issues on the seas. China will continue to take all necessary steps to resolutely protect its own sovereignty and security,” Mao said.

The US military said on Tuesday a Chinese fighter pilot performed an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” near an American surveillance aircraft operating over the South China Sea last week. . .

The incident comes at a time of frayed ties between Washington and Beijing over issues including Taiwan, which China regards as its territory, and the shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US this year.

‘Risky aerial intercepts’

"

Read more > Aljazeera 2023.05.31

Video footage released by the US military