April 28, 2000
Chinese fighters
challenge U.S. jet
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Chinese warplanes challenged a U.S.
reconnaissance jet Thursday over the South China
Sea as the aircraft monitored exercises by the
People's Liberation Army in southern China,
Pentagon officials said.
Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon
spokesman, told reporters that two Chinese J-8
fighters flew within two miles of a U.S. Air Force
RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.
"This is a reconnaissance aircraft, Air Force
aircraft, well into international airspace, that was
approached by two Chinese fighters," he said. "They
did not come very close to the aircraft. I don't
consider this a particularly unusual event."
Pentagon officials said the RC-135 was
monitoring Chinese military exercises under way in
southern China. The RC-135s usually fly in the
region several times a month and are challenged by
Chinese jets during a small portion of those flights.
The encounter comes at a time of heightened
tensions between China and Taiwan following the
election of a pro-independence president, Chen
Shui-bian, in Taiwan last month.
Beijing envoy Tan Shubei issued a new threat
against Taiwan Thursday, warning Taipei it faces
"disaster" and "hostility" if it fails to accept China's
policy toward the island it views as a breakaway
province.
Official Chinese news media earlier had reported
that Mr. Tan had threatened to go to war, stating that
"if they don't accept the 'one China' principle and that
Taiwan is a part of China, then the result will not be
peace, but war; not harmony, but confrontation; not
good will, but enmity."
Adm. Quigley sought to play down the incident
saying the Chinese, like other nations, often "send up
aircraft to just have a look-see as to who is getting
close to their airspace."
Adm. Quigley said the U.S. spy plane was far
outside Chinese airspace and that the United States
routinely operates "in international airspace around
the world."
No U.S. warplanes were sent up to defend the
RC-135 and it did not change course as a result of
the encounter.
"I would mention that at no time did the U.S.
aircraft feel the least bit threatened," Adm. Quigley
said.
Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese
military with the Jamestown Foundation, said the
incident appears similar to a Chinese submarine
encounter with the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk in
1995. Chinese jets intercepted U.S. aircraft that
detected the submarine during that incident.
"These kinds of things have been increasing since
that happened," Mr. Fisher said in an interview. As a
result of China's military buildup, "the United States is
going to have to be much more aggressive in
reconnaissance of [People's Liberation Army]
activities," he added. "I expect there will be many
more opportunities for the PLA Air Force to
intercept U.S. intelligence aircraft."
Defense officials said the RC-135 was seeking
intelligence on possible Chinese military force
redeployments from northern China, as well as on
China's new command-and-control system known as
Qu Dian.
The U.S. aircraft flight originated at the U.S. Air
Force base at Kadena, Japan.
The RC-135, known as "hog" because of its
extended nose, is a key intelligence collector for the
U.S. military, used recently in the conflict in the
Balkans. They can fly for up to 20 hours at a time
and collect electronic-signals intelligence, such as
military communications, at distances of hundreds of
miles.
The J-8 is a twin-engine interceptor built by China
based on the design of the Russian MiG-21. The
most advanced version, the J-8 IIM, is armed with
air-to-air missiles, and 30 mm cannon.
On Taiwan's newly elected leaders, Mr. Tan in
Beijing said: "If they do not recognize that Taiwan is
part of China and the one-China principle, this will
lead to disaster instead of peace, confrontation
instead of harmony, and hostility instead of good
will." The remarks were carried by China's official
Xinhua news agency.
A Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesman said
on Tuesday that the Chinese military exercises were
unusual and included bomber and fighter training as
well as naval activities near the Diaoyu or Senkaku
islands in the East China Sea.
Thursday, however, Mr. Chen, the
president-elect, said the military maneuvers were not
unusual.
"Everybody can rest assured. Routine drills by the
Chinese Communists are frequent, especially every
April and May," Mr. Chen told a group of
supporters. "Security units told me, the U.S. side told
me, that there is nothing unusual. So we should not
scare ourselves."
Asked about the exercises, Adm. Quigley said
that "from what we have seen on mainland China, the
level of effort is typical and seasonal."
The intercept of the RC-135 was first reported
by Taiwan's ET Today Internet news service. The
service quoted a Taiwanese general as saying it was
the first time in three years that Chinese jets were
scrambled to follow a U.S. reconnaissance jet.
U.S. officials, however, said the intercepts
happen at least once a month.
In Beijing, a government spokesman said the
exercises are part of training.
"As far as military exercises carried out by the
People's Liberation Army, this is normal and is aimed
at enhancing the capability of the Chinese military,"
said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi.
• This article is based in part on wire service
reports.
Chinese fighters
challenge U.S. jet
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Chinese warplanes challenged a U.S.
reconnaissance jet Thursday over the South China
Sea as the aircraft monitored exercises by the
People's Liberation Army in southern China,
Pentagon officials said.
Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon
spokesman, told reporters that two Chinese J-8
fighters flew within two miles of a U.S. Air Force
RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.
"This is a reconnaissance aircraft, Air Force
aircraft, well into international airspace, that was
approached by two Chinese fighters," he said. "They
did not come very close to the aircraft. I don't
consider this a particularly unusual event."
Pentagon officials said the RC-135 was
monitoring Chinese military exercises under way in
southern China. The RC-135s usually fly in the
region several times a month and are challenged by
Chinese jets during a small portion of those flights.
The encounter comes at a time of heightened
tensions between China and Taiwan following the
election of a pro-independence president, Chen
Shui-bian, in Taiwan last month.
Beijing envoy Tan Shubei issued a new threat
against Taiwan Thursday, warning Taipei it faces
"disaster" and "hostility" if it fails to accept China's
policy toward the island it views as a breakaway
province.
Official Chinese news media earlier had reported
that Mr. Tan had threatened to go to war, stating that
"if they don't accept the 'one China' principle and that
Taiwan is a part of China, then the result will not be
peace, but war; not harmony, but confrontation; not
good will, but enmity."
Adm. Quigley sought to play down the incident
saying the Chinese, like other nations, often "send up
aircraft to just have a look-see as to who is getting
close to their airspace."
Adm. Quigley said the U.S. spy plane was far
outside Chinese airspace and that the United States
routinely operates "in international airspace around
the world."
No U.S. warplanes were sent up to defend the
RC-135 and it did not change course as a result of
the encounter.
"I would mention that at no time did the U.S.
aircraft feel the least bit threatened," Adm. Quigley
said.
Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese
military with the Jamestown Foundation, said the
incident appears similar to a Chinese submarine
encounter with the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk in
1995. Chinese jets intercepted U.S. aircraft that
detected the submarine during that incident.
"These kinds of things have been increasing since
that happened," Mr. Fisher said in an interview. As a
result of China's military buildup, "the United States is
going to have to be much more aggressive in
reconnaissance of [People's Liberation Army]
activities," he added. "I expect there will be many
more opportunities for the PLA Air Force to
intercept U.S. intelligence aircraft."
Defense officials said the RC-135 was seeking
intelligence on possible Chinese military force
redeployments from northern China, as well as on
China's new command-and-control system known as
Qu Dian.
The U.S. aircraft flight originated at the U.S. Air
Force base at Kadena, Japan.
The RC-135, known as "hog" because of its
extended nose, is a key intelligence collector for the
U.S. military, used recently in the conflict in the
Balkans. They can fly for up to 20 hours at a time
and collect electronic-signals intelligence, such as
military communications, at distances of hundreds of
miles.
The J-8 is a twin-engine interceptor built by China
based on the design of the Russian MiG-21. The
most advanced version, the J-8 IIM, is armed with
air-to-air missiles, and 30 mm cannon.
On Taiwan's newly elected leaders, Mr. Tan in
Beijing said: "If they do not recognize that Taiwan is
part of China and the one-China principle, this will
lead to disaster instead of peace, confrontation
instead of harmony, and hostility instead of good
will." The remarks were carried by China's official
Xinhua news agency.
A Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesman said
on Tuesday that the Chinese military exercises were
unusual and included bomber and fighter training as
well as naval activities near the Diaoyu or Senkaku
islands in the East China Sea.
Thursday, however, Mr. Chen, the
president-elect, said the military maneuvers were not
unusual.
"Everybody can rest assured. Routine drills by the
Chinese Communists are frequent, especially every
April and May," Mr. Chen told a group of
supporters. "Security units told me, the U.S. side told
me, that there is nothing unusual. So we should not
scare ourselves."
Asked about the exercises, Adm. Quigley said
that "from what we have seen on mainland China, the
level of effort is typical and seasonal."
The intercept of the RC-135 was first reported
by Taiwan's ET Today Internet news service. The
service quoted a Taiwanese general as saying it was
the first time in three years that Chinese jets were
scrambled to follow a U.S. reconnaissance jet.
U.S. officials, however, said the intercepts
happen at least once a month.
In Beijing, a government spokesman said the
exercises are part of training.
"As far as military exercises carried out by the
People's Liberation Army, this is normal and is aimed
at enhancing the capability of the Chinese military,"
said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi.
• This article is based in part on wire service
reports.