Washington has reportedly issued a formal complaint with China over what the US Federal Aviation Administration has described as “unauthorized laser activity,” which allegedly injured two US airmen.
According to reporting from Paul Mcleary at Breaking Defense, US officials are confident that China is responsible for the lasers, which they say are coming from the direction of a Chinese military installation in the African nation of Djibouti. The base in Djibouti is China’s first such overseas military facility and is situated near a US base.
“It’s enough that we’re concerned that we demarched them, and asked them to investigate. We’re confident,” Pentagon spokesperson Dana White told reporters on Thursday. She also said that about 10 laser-related incidents have taken place within the last several weeks.
“This sends a signal to Africa and globally that China has advanced weapons and is prepared to use them,” Dean Cheng, an expert on the Chinese military at the Heritage Foundation, told Mcleary. “The lack of an American response will be exploited as a warning that not even America dares stand up to China–so neither should you.”
Pentagon spokesperson Major Sheryll Klinkel said that in one recent incident two pilots landing a C-130 at the US base in Djibouti suffered minor injuries. Klinkel described the laser as “military grade.”
Mcleary noted that China is a signatory to the 1995 Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, under which the use of blinding weapons against humans is prohibited. China has denied allegations of Chinese involvement in the recent laser activity.
The development comes amid news that China has for the first time deployed missile systems to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, prompting a response from the White House.
“We’ve raised concerns directly with the Chinese about this,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday regarding the missile deployment. “There will be near-term and long-term consequences,” she added.
Where is China’s airspace?
Davion Knight, he is talking about the 2bd Gulf War in case you haven’t noticed. It was built upon the pretext that Iraq had WMD weapon, which turned out to be a lie.
So US can violate China’s airspace and go unresponded?
Paul Chan
If don’t support China
then don’t talk the way u did
Edver Jovero, my comment is about trying to side with china. I am merely saying that US is trying to find a good excuse to start a war with china. After all, war is their business. And yes, I don’t approve of china’s action. But unfortunately the currently administration doesn’t seem to care about it, even prasing china and wants to do joint venture or in other words, share the resources with the communists.. ????
It may be a case of president Bush’s WMD again.
China CPC should send their VP to contest in Taiwan democratic elections to earn the right to rule Taiwan. Obviously they no confidence that they will win Taiwanese support. Hence all these arm twisting and military threats. China takes the woman it wants by force and rape, as it has no charm at all.
invade china, he is the no. 1 land grabber
Iraq was invaded because they invaded Kuwait. Arab nations asked USA, which is their allies, for help.
So? China’s excuse in South China Sea is an old make up map to grab territories and deny weaker nations out. Creating man made islands to militarize the area. And let all who passes there bow to their whims.
It’s the whole "do not fire until fired upon" bullshit. We’ve become more concerned at looking like the aggressor, we’ve forgotten how to look after our own.
there is the american version, the chinese version and then the truth…. the last one will always be lost in the "confusion"…. ech side will milk this for all the mileage it is worth…. if the americans feel that a response is necessary, they will not hesitate. there is too much to lose than just face in this matter…. you can only push them so far…. in a global war, their weapons still outmatch everyone else, and they can still destroy the world several times over…. but of course, the capitalist overlords who really run things will always think of the profits to be made or lost, and won’t rock the boat for the moment…..
USA take them out …tell dijouti or else
If you want to start something,then do it fast before it’s too late…maybe they have every asset they can used but I bet they how to use it in actual combat.
If you want to enter the ring, do it gentlemanly . I bet you have the guts to take on China. All these silly excuses and lies represent the naiveness of the Americans.
In the middle east, their excuse is chemical weapons, while against china, it is laser.. ????
china is not iraq, that would be grand mistake
Use this as an excuse to start a war with China just like the same excuse you used to flattened Iraq.
"US officials are confident that China is responsible for the lasers". Perhaps you should investigate further before drawing conclusions. US officials were also "confident" that Assad of Syria had used chemical weapons after these were confirmed eliminated. Also, weren’t US officials "confident" that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction?
Has the US military become wimps? If China wanted to practise their laser beams, you can bet a lot more than slight injuries to 2 personnel will happen.