US-China relations

US spy plane disguised as Philippine aircraft flies over Yellow Sea – report

Rappler.com

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US spy plane disguised as Philippine aircraft flies over Yellow Sea – report
At least two aircraft monitoring agencies confirm the incident

A United States Air Force (USAF) surveillance plane disguised itself as a Philippine aircraft while flying over the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, September 22, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

This was confirmed separately by the Beijing-based South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) and aircraft movement monitoring agency Aircraft Spots.

The USAF’s RC-135S reconnaissance plane changed its hex code assigned to a Philippine aircraft when it flew over the Yellow Sea, located between the coasts of China and the Korea peninsula. 

A hex code is the number assigned by the International Civil Aviation Organization to identify all aircrafts.

The US military plane then reverted back to its original hex code after completing its mission over the Yellow Sea. 

The SCMP said a similar incident occurred just last week, when American RC-135s also disguised themselves as Malaysian civil planes while flying close to China. 

It comes in the face of a looming Cold War between Beijing and Washington, which counts the Philippines as its oldest ally in Asia. 

The Philippines, like other Southeast Asian states, has been courted by both US and China and as the two world powers clash on the disputed South China Sea, located some 2,400 kilometers from the Yellow Sea. 

Though Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the country was pivoting to China in the past, he surprised world leaders on September 23 when he raised the Philippines’ legal victory against China over the South China Sea before the United Nations General Assembly. 

The statement was a milestone considering that, since the start of Duterte’s term in 2016, critics have blasted his defeatist stance on the West Philippine Sea. (READ: What’s behind Duterte’s strong Hague ruling assertion before UN?)

Duterte has drawn criticism particularly for deferring to China in exchange for economic benefits, and for raising a false threat of war as an excuse for refusing to assert the rights of the Philippines.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr already said the Philippines plans to keep Western powers in the South China Sea, challenging Beijing’s demand to keep them out of the strategic waterway. – Rappler.com

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