Chinese Media Issues Warning to US About ‘Dangerous’ Military Tensions

A Chinese newspaper on Saturday warned the U.S. military that projecting China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific region as “dangerous” will worsen the “risk of friction and conflict.”

The editorial from the Global Times, a nationalistic English-language tabloid published by the propaganda department of the ruling Communist Party, was referencing a video that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) released earlier this week. The short clip shows the pilot of a Shenyang J-11 flying within 10 feet of a U.S. Air Force B-52 over the South China Sea, most of which China claims as its territory.

The Chinese pilot “demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision,” the Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. “We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision.”

According to the Indo-Pacific Command, the American pilot was conducting routine nighttime operations in international airspace during the encounter on Tuesday. They said that the intercept was conducted “in a manner contrary to international air safety rules and norms.”

The Global Times, whose views do not always reflect official policy in China, wrote on Saturday that “the US’ false claims are not tenable at all,” adding that “anyone with even a little specialized knowledge will find that the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] pilot’s nighttime interception demonstrated superb flying skills.”

“Even more critical, but not mentioned by the US, is the fact that the US’ B-52 is a strategic bomber that can carry nuclear warheads, which is not the same as a usual bomber,” the newspaper added.

The Global Times warned that this “exaggeration” made by the U.S. military about the encounter could lead to “friction and conflict.”

“It is worth noting that one consequence of this intense exaggeration and hype is that ‘dangerous encounters’ seem to have become a common state of the current tensions, and this psychological and public numbness, in turn, increases the risk of friction and conflict,” it wrote.

The newspaper claimed that the U.S. has tried to provoke China, while all of Beijing’s actions have been in “self-defense.”

“Under its strategy of containing China, the US does not genuinely want to avoid conflict but rather has a strong impulse to demonstrate its military power through provocative actions against China, as it seeks a psychological advantage over it and gives the world the impression that it can ‘restrain’ China,” the Global Times wrote.

The editorial added that China and the U.S. need to have “full respect for each other’s security concerns,” adding “If this understanding is reached, it will be a natural and productive step to getting the two militaries’ relations back on track.”

Meanwhile, the Global Times gave a similar warning to the U.S. when the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on China’s military power was released earlier this month.

The Pentagon’s report detailed China’s strengthening nuclear capabilities, resistance to military-to-military communications with the U.S., expansion of national power, deepening ties to Russia as well as the country’s provocative actions in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically in and around the Taiwan Strait.

The Global Times called the intel gathered in the Pentagon’s report “malicious speculations and smears,” saying that the U.S. was trying to “fabricate a terrifying image of China.”

In late September, the U.S. State Department issued a report claiming that Beijing has manipulated global media through propaganda, disinformation, and censorship. According to a summary of the report, the State Department said Beijing uses false or biased information to promote a positive image of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), while suppressing information that contradicts the narratives it wants portrayed on issues including Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Newsweek reached out to the DOD, the Chinese embassy, and PRC’s international press center via email for comment.