China publishes record of expelling foreign warplanes, 'warns risky US close-in recons'

Pilots assigned to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command keep their Su-30 fighter jet in a specified airspace while awaiting further clearance during an actual-combat flight training exercise in mid-February, 2020. - Global Times/ANN

BEIJING, June 21 (Global Times): China recently published the flight record of its fighter jets expelling foreign warplanes from the region seen as the South China Sea in May 2020, which is a move that sent a strong signal to the US, as the latter doubled its risky and provocative close-in reconnaissance attempts on China in the region this year compared to last year, Chinese experts said on Sunday (June 20).

The lead Chinese pilot said he was ready to fight during the encounter, before the foreign aircraft retreated.