According to the DOD press release, the documents are intended to corroborate key findings in the upcoming 2023 China Military Power Report (CMPR), which addresses an uptick in risky PLA activities since the fall of 2021
On October 17, 2023, the Department of Defense of the United States declassified images and recordings that showed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) engaging in "coercive and risky" activities against United States aircraft in the East and South China Sea. According to the press release issued by the Department of Defense (DOD), the documents that have been published indicate dangerous PLA operations such as close approaches and the usage of flares. "These reckless maneuvers have heightened concerns about international air safety," stated Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, reiterating concerns he has already voiced in multiple places, the most recent being at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue.
In a news statement, the United States Department of State highlighted the fact that the United States has been operating in the Indo-Pacific region in compliance with international law for a significant amount of time now. This news release asserts that the operations of the PLA run counter to the efforts that the United States and its partners have been making to promote a regional vision of peace and security.
The notification made by the Department goes into additional detail regarding the incidents, including the terrifyingly near distances (as close as 15 feet) between aircraft belonging to the PLA and those belonging to the United States. According to the release, this data will be incorporated into the next iteration of the CMPR, which is mandated by the relevant legislation.
The Department of Defense press statement concludes by reiterating the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and reiterating that the United States will continue to conduct its activities in accordance with international law. According to the statement, the operations of the PLA are a part of a bigger campaign to get the United States and other countries to limit their legal activity near land that Beijing claims as its own. This territory is in the disputed region of the South China Sea.
