(Reuters) - The Chinese navy
warned a U.S. surveillance plane flying over artificial islands that
Beijing is creating in the disputed South China Sea to leave the area
eight times, according to CNN, which was on board the flight on
Wednesday.
At one stage,
after the American pilots responded by saying the plane was flying
through international airspace, a Chinese radio operator said with
exasperation: "This is the Chinese navy ... You go!"
The
P8-A Poseidon, the U.S. military's most advanced surveillance aircraft,
flew at 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) at its lowest point, CNN said.
The
incident, along with recent Chinese warnings to Philippine military
aircraft to leave areas around the Spratly archipelago in the South
China Sea, suggests Beijing is trying to enforce a military exclusion
zone above its new islands.
Some
security experts worry about the risk of confrontation, especially
after a U.S. official said last week the Pentagon was considering
sending military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation
around the Chinese-made islands.
A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said he was not aware of the incident.
"China has the right to
engage in monitoring in the relevant airspace and waters to protect the
country's sovereignty and prevent accidents at sea," ministry spokesman
Hong Lei said in a regular briefing. "We hope the relevant country can
earnestly respect China's sovereignty in the South China Sea."
Footage
taken by the P8-A Poseidon and aired by CNN showed a hive of
construction and dredging activity on the new islands the plane flew
over, as well as Chinese navy ships nearby.
CNN
said it was the first time the Pentagon had declassified video of
China's building activity and audio of challenges to a U.S. aircraft.
"We
were just challenged 30 minutes ago and the challenge came from the
Chinese navy," Captain Mike Parker, commander of U.S. surveillance
aircraft deployed to Asia, told CNN aboard the flight.
"I'm
highly confident it came from ashore, this facility here," Parker said,
pointing to an early warning radar station on Fiery Cross Reef.
Military facilities on
Fiery Cross Reef, including a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) runway, could be
operational by year's end, one U.S. commander recently told Reuters.
Asia's
rising power China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea,
through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping
claims.
Foreign Minister Wang
Yi last week asserted Beijing's sovereignty to reclaim the reefs, saying
China's determination to protect its interests was "as hard as a rock".
China
has also said it had every right to set up an Air Defence
Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea but that current
conditions did not warrant one.
ADIZs
are used by some nations to extend control beyond national borders,
requiring civilian and military aircraft to identify themselves or face
possible military interception.
During
the P8-A mission, the pilot of a Delta Air Line flight in the area
spoke on the same frequency after hearing the Chinese challenges, and
identified himself as commercial. The Chinese voice reassured the pilot
and the Delta flight went on its way, CNN said.
(Writing by Dean Yates, additional reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Paul Tait)
sumber: http://news.yahoo.com/china-navy-warns-u-spy-plane-disputed-south-033650226.html
thank's for you artikel
BalasHapus