How a mid-air collision near Hainan 18 years ago spurred China’s military modernisation
- Chinese fighter pilot Wang Wei died after his jet collided with a US spy plane near the island in 2001
- Incident ‘set off many changes’ for the PLA – especially for air force and navy
Few people would remember the name Wang Wei – the 33-year-old Chinese pilot who was killed 18 years ago when his fighter jet collided with a US spy plane in mid-air near Hainan Island.
But the incident was a key reason China’s military modernisation – especially of its air force and navy – was accelerated, according to analysts.
The collision happened on April 1, 2001, when the US reconnaissance aircraft was challenged by two People’s Liberation Army fighter jets. Wang’s J-8II jet crashed into the sea after it hit the US EP-3E plane, and he was killed because his parachute did not open in time as he tried to escape the aircraft, according to two independent military sources.
While there was no official commemoration of Wang’s death in China on Monday, analysts said the significance of the Hainan incident for the PLA could not be underestimated.
“His death was an accident but it set off many changes,” said Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming. “What happened 18 years ago spurred China to step up the modernisation of its military, especially aircraft development for the air force and navy.”
According to Zhou, the military’s top brass became determined to upgrade navy aircraft after the incident, eventually replacing all J-8 fighter jets with fourth-generation J-10 and J-11 fighter jets and JH-7 bombers. In addition to the new and more advanced models, the PLA also invested heavily in improving the features of its aircraft, such as emergency exit systems.