US and Chinese warplanes face off near Korea – media

Around ten F-16s reportedly flew close to Beijing’s air defense identification zone over the Yellow Sea

US and Chinese fighter jets faced off not far off the South Korean coast this week, according to local media outlets.

Approximately ten US Forces Korea (USFK) F-16 warplanes took off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek – about 60km south of Seoul – and flew over international waters in the Yellow Sea, the Korea Herald reported, citing multiple sources. The mission reportedly took place in the airspace between South Korea’s and China’s respective air defense identification zones.

As the F-16s approached the Chinese coast, Beijing scrambled its own jets to the area, the article said, without clarifying how many planes were involved. The outlet noted that “a brief aerial face-off” ensued, but given that neither side violated the other’s airspace, the situation did not escalate.

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The paper also noted an “unusual” number of US jets in the air, adding that it could suggest that the exercise had been “aimed at signaling deterrence toward China.”

Yonhap news agency said that Washington had informed Seoul of the planned mission, but did not elaborate.

China’s Global Times acknowledged the incident, saying that Beijing’s military “organized sea and air forces to conduct continuous monitoring… and effectively responded to and handled the situation.”

The reported encounter comes after the US released a new National Defense Strategy in January that calls on South Korea to take “primary responsibility” for deterring North Korea, freeing US forces to refocus on countering China.

In 2023, the Pentagon released footage of more than 180 intercepts of US aircraft by Chinese jets over the East and South China Seas since 2021. In 2024, US media reports indicated that the number of encounters had dropped after Washington’s relations with Beijing improved.

Tensions between the two countries persist, however, most notably over the self-governing island of Taiwan. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under control. China has also protested US arms shipments to the island and denounced visits by senior American officials to Taipei.