Japan warns of collision risks after Chinese fighter jet's ‘abnormal approaches'
Japan has expressed serious concerns to Beijing through diplomatic and defence channels after a Chinese fighter jet from the aircraft carrier Shandong made 'abnormal approaches' to a Japanese patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean.
In a statement, Tokyo's defence ministry said a J-15 fighter shadowed its P-3C patrol aircraft operating over the Pacific for about 40 minutes from 10.30am on Saturday and again for around 80 minutes from 2pm on Sunday.
The ministry said the Chinese fighter approached close to a horizontal distance of about 45 metres with no altitude difference and, in another manoeuvre on Sunday, 'crossed approximately 900 metres ahead of the patrol aircraft's course, with no altitude difference'.
The ministry also published images of the Chinese aircraft holding a position just off the P-3C's port and starboard wings.
'Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to an accidental collision,' the ministry said in the statement, calling on Beijing to take steps against a repeat of such an incident.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, however, said at a press conference on Thursday that the country's military activities 'fully comply with international law and practices'. He insisted Japanese 'close-in reconnaissance activities' of China's 'normal' operations were 'the root cause of maritime and air security risks', according to Kyodo.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Summit snubs: what key Nato absences reveal about Indo-Pacific worries
For the first time in four years, the leaders of South Korea and Japan were nowhere to be seen at the annual Nato summit. Australia's prime minister was also absent from The Hague but New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon took part in the meeting. The four countries are not Nato members, but the security bloc has identified Japan , South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – also known as the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) – as key partners in the alliance's engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. Leaders of all four countries had attended annual Nato summits since 2022, at the invitation of the alliance, but this year, Japan, South Korea and Australia sent lower-level representatives to the event. The decision reflects higher priorities in a region concerned that Middle East conflicts could be distracting the United States from the Indo-Pacific, at least in the short term, experts say. Two leaders – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung – rejected Nato's invitation, citing as reasons 'domestic priorities and growing uncertainty in the Middle East'. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who initially accepted the invitation, cancelled his trip to The Hague a day before his departure, reportedly because there was little chance of a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Beijing approves convention establishing global mediation organisation in Hong Kong
Beijing has approved the convention establishing the world's first intergovernmental organisation on mediation in Hong Kong, while indicating it would not bring forth World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes to the new body. Observers said on Friday the move was an indication of Beijing's support for the WTO and that it would still bring other disputes to the new organisation. The state-run Xinhua News Agency said the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress had approved the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation, which was signed in Hong Kong at the end of May. At the same time, the country's legislature declared that under Articles 25 and 29 of the convention, the government would not submit its disputes under the WTO to the new body. The articles state that the new body shall not provide mediation services to jurisdictions that have made a declaration indicating disputes they would refuse to submit to the body, such as those concerning territorial sovereignty or maritime interests. Lau Siu-kai of the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank said Beijing had always underscored the centrality of the WTO in promoting international trade and resolving disputes that arose from it.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Ex-liaison office chief in Hong Kong takes No 2 spot on NPC special committee
The former head of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong has been appointed the No 2 official on a special committee under the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's legislature. Advertisement Zheng Yanxiong was named vice-chairman of the NPC Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee, according to a statement issued on Friday after a meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, China's top legislative body. The statement said that a decision was made after the endorsement of a resolution. In January 2023, Zheng was appointed as the director of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong. He was replaced by Zhou Ji, who had served as executive deputy director of the central government's top office for the city's affairs, in May of this year. The NPC directs the work of 10 special committees, which fall under the leadership of the standing committee when the country's legislature is not in session. Advertisement Each special committee is composed of a chairman, several vice-chairmen and other members.
