China Navy Warns U.S. Spy Plane in Disputed South China Sea

The Chinese Navy ordered a United States surveillance plane flying over China’s artificial islands to leave the area on Wednesday, according to cnn reporters aboard the plane.

The P8-A Poseidon surveillance craft was flying over the islands under construction in the South China Sea when it received eight orders to leave. “This is the Chinese Navy—you go!” a Chinese radio operator told the American pilots, who insisted they were flying over international waters.

A Filipino military aircraft recently had a similar experience in the area. Such actions suggest Beijing is trying to create a military exclusion zone above the new islands it is building.

The Pentagon is alarmed at the large-scale Chinese military buildup on the islands. Former cia Deputy Director Michael Morell said that Wednesday’s confrontation indicates a definite risk of future war between the U.S. and China. Before the incident, the Pentagon was planning to send military aircraft and ships to the man-made islands in order to confirm freedom of navigation around the area.