US Air Force to continue flying over South China Sea

The US Air Force will continue to fly daily missions over the South China Sea despite a buildup of Chinese surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets in the contested region, with both nations’ militaries in discussions to avoid any miscalculations, a top US general said on Tuesday.

General Lori Robinson, the commander of the Pacific Air Forces, also urged other nations to exercise their freedom to fly and sail in international airspace and waters claimed by China in the South China Sea “or risk losing it throughout the region”.

“We’ve watched the increased military capability on those islands, whether it’s the fighters, whether it’s the missiles or the 10,000-foot runways. We will continue to do as we’ve always done, and that is fly and sail in international airspace in accordance to international rules and norms,” General Robinson told reporters in Australia’s capital, Canberra, where she will address the Royal Australian Air Force’s biennial Air Power Conference next week.

Terming the UN’s arbitration on the South China Sea dispute as “tainted”, China on Tuesday asserted that it will not honour the outcome of the tribunal.

“The Philippines’ stubbornness is clearly the result of behind-the-scenes instigation and political manoeuvring,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said at his annual press conference, in a veiled attack on the US.