US Criticizes PRC for South China Sea 'Maneuver'

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The Facts

  • The Pentagon on Tuesday accused China of an "unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" in aerial operations over the South China Sea, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressing a day later that this is the latest in a rising number of incidents involving Chinese military aircraft and ships.

  • Video footage per US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) shows a PRC J-16 fighter pilot flying close to the US Air Force RC-135. This prompted the American spy aircraft to navigate through turbulence generated by the PRC plane.


The Spin

Anti-China narrative

China's current shift to increasing its international power is occurring at the expense of the US. Washington must maintain its position in international politics, for the sake of ensuring PRC ideology does not become the global norm. The US must up its fight against Chinese aggression and continue to strengthen deterrents in the Indo-Pacific.

Pro-China narrative

Ahead of the important meeting of nations in Singapore, the US has once again deployed a commonly-used tactic of branding the Chinese interception of a US spy plane as unprofessional and dangerous. Washington's Cold War mindset against China — continuing provocative actions violating Chinese sovereignty — will continue to be met with necessary measures.


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