Amid the rising tensions between China and the United States CNN has reported a grave incident from the South China Sea when a Chinese fighter jet confronted a US Navy plane with its journalists onboard.
The report claims, US Navy jet that was flying 21,500 feet over South China sea 30 miles off the Paracel Island with Chinese millitary bases was intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet armed with an air-to-air missile.
The report claims the Chinese jet was so close that the CNN crew could see the pilots ‘looking at them and could make out the red star on the tail fins and the missiles it was armed with.’
The crew even heard a voice saying, ‘it’s coming from People’s Liberation Army (PLA) airport’ over the radio of the US Navy P-8 Poseidon and went on to say, ‘American aircraft. Chinese airspace is 12 nautical miles. Not approaching any more or you bear all responsibility’.
As the publication’s crew members had the rear access to the plane’s radio voice it reported the conversation between the two pilots.
Lt. Nikki Slaughter, the pilot of the American plane, hails the twin-seat, twin-engine PLA aircraft.
“PLA fighter aircraft, this is US Navy P-8A … I have you off my left wing and I intend to proceed to the west. I request that you do the same, over,” Lt. Nikki Slaughter, the pilot of the American plane was reported as saying.
After 15 minutes long silence the Chinese fighter jet turned away.
CNN interviewed Navy Cmdr. Marc Hines, who claimed ‘it’s another Friday afternoon in the South China Sea.
This isn’t the only face-off the two countries have witnessed off late. South China Sea has emerged as a major potential flashpoint in Asia Pacific with the area providing strategic waterways to vast resources and global shipping passes worth $3.4 trillion.
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