Washington DD, US

The United States has released videos of some of the interceptions between American warplanes with Chinese aircraft in the past two years. The Pentagon said that more than 180 intercepts have occurred, which is more than the total intercepts over the previous decade. 

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The US military officials have called this trend concerning, calling out China for its increasingly dangerous behaviour in the skies. 

However, the officials have not commented on how many of those close calls were "unsafe and unprofessional", which is a standard military term used when the interactions are actually dangerous. 

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The officials say that they released the footage to call out Chinese behaviour as the US claimed that such incidents are part of a larger trend of regional intimidation by Beijing. The US claims that such interceptions could accidentally lead to conflict.

The photos and videos are part of an annual report by the Pentagon which will be released soon. The report will analyse Chinese military power and the security threats, especially its influence in the Indo-Pacific. 

A US official, while speaking to the news agency Reuters, said on the condition of anonymity that such interceptions have risen by 300 when it included manoeuvres near aircraft of allies. 

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Admiral John Acquilino, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, addressed a press briefing Tuesday (Oct 17) to provide some details on the report. 

He said that despite the US surging carrier strike groups and amphibious ships to support Israel, and now almost 20 months of war in Ukraine, the command has what it needs to deter China. 

Referring to ships, aircraft and military units, he said, "I haven't had one piece of equipment or force structure depart" from his command. 

"We have been taking a number of steps to strengthen our commitment to the region, strengthen our deterrence in the region and we will continue to do that," Acquilino added. 

As quoted by The Associated Press, Ely Ratner, who is the assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said: "All of these examples we've released today underscore the coercive intent of (China) by engaging in behaviours, particularly in international airspace." 

"The bottom line is that in many cases, this type of operational behaviour can cause active and dangerous accidents" and can lead inadvertently to conflict, Ratner added. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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