US spy planes in South China Sea ‘creating risk’ for civilian aircraft
2020-08-13 09:03:17 source：South China Morning Post
August 12, 2020
The US Air Force is creating risks for passenger flights over the South China Sea with its close-in reconnaissance missions near the Chinese coast, a Chinese military source and observers have warned.
The US military has several types of reconnaissance aircraft developed on commercial aeroplane platforms, and they usually follow civil aviation flights as cover when approaching China’s airspace, a source close to the People’s Liberation Army told the South China Morning Post.
The US has reportedly stepped up its reconnaissance activities near the southern Chinese coast in recent weeks, with a night operation by an E-8C plane on August 5 prompting Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe to initiate a 90-minute phone call with his American counterpart Mark Esper.
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