Pentagon: China Has ‘Pattern’ of Buzzing Our Jets, We Call on Them Not to and We Work on Deterrence

On Friday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “Morning In America,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder reacted to Chinese fighter jets buzzing American jets in international airspace over the Pacific Ocean by stating that the incident is part of “a pattern of behavior we’ve seen from the PRC” and that we’re “continuing to work very closely with our allies and partners throughout the region to send that message of deterrence to China.” And will “continue to ensure that we keep those lines of communication open to prevent a potential miscalculation between our two countries.”

Ryder said, “Well, this is a part of a series of behaviors that we’ve seen, a pattern of behavior we’ve seen from the PRC as it relates to aircraft. As you know, they’ve been doing this. We’ve addressed it. Recently, we released a report that highlights the number of these types of dangerous acts. And we certainly call on the PRC to discontinue this type of behavior. Look, nations have the right to operate in sovereign airspace throughout the Indo-Pacific region and to do so without being harassed and coerced. And that’s why you see us continuing to work very closely with our allies and partners throughout the region to send that message of deterrence to China. And as for the acts of this individual pilot, certainly unsafe, unprofessional. And we’re just going to continue to ensure that we keep those lines of communication open to prevent a potential miscalculation between our two countries.”

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