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Chinese forces deployed to the hotly-contested South China Sea ordered a US Navy reconnaissance aircraft to “leave immediately” six times Friday. The pilot stayed the course, refusing to back down. Business Insider reports that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flew past China’s garrisons in the Spratly Islands. The pilot gave the CNN reporters aboard the aircraft a view of Chinese militarization in the region. Flying over Chinese strongholds on Mischief Reef, Johnson Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef, CNN spotted “large radar installations, power plants and runways sturdy enough to carry large military aircraft.” At one outpost, onboard sensors detected 86 vessels, including a number of Chinese Coast Guard ships. China has been known to use the vessels to strongarm other claimant countries.
