"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.
ÿÿÿÿÿOfficial 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.""
April 28, 2000
Chinese fighters challenge U.S. jet
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
ÿÿÿÿÿChinese 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿRear 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿ"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."
ÿÿÿÿÿPentagon 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿThe 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿBeijing 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿOfficial 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."
ÿÿÿÿÿAdm. 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."
ÿÿÿÿÿAdm. 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."
ÿÿÿÿÿNo U.S. warplanes were sent up to defend the RC-135 and it did
not change course as a result of the encounter.
ÿÿÿÿÿ"I would mention that at no time did the U.S. aircraft feel the least
bit threatened," Adm. Quigley said.
ÿÿÿÿÿRichard 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿ"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."
ÿÿÿÿÿDefense 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿThe U.S. aircraft flight originated at the U.S. Air Force base at
Kadena, Japan.
ÿÿÿÿÿThe 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿThe 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿOn 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿA 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿThursday, however, Mr. Chen, the president-elect, said the military
maneuvers were not unusual.
ÿÿÿÿÿ"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."
ÿÿÿÿÿAsked about the exercises, Adm. Quigley said that "from what we
have seen on mainland China, the level of effort is typical and seasonal."
ÿÿÿÿÿThe 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.
ÿÿÿÿÿU.S. officials, however, said the intercepts happen at least once a
month.
ÿÿÿÿÿIn Beijing, a government spokesman said the exercises are part of
training.
ÿÿÿÿÿ"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.
ÿÿÿÿÿ? This article is based in part on wire service reports. |
