AFRICA/CHINA/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Tensions between the United States and China flared on two military fronts as Washington accused the Chinese of harassing American pilots flying over the African nation of Djibouti and warned of consequences to the deployment of missiles on artificial islands China has built in disputed waters in the South China Sea. The Pentagon’s spokeswoman, Dana W. White, said Thursday [5-3-18] that personnel at China’s military base in Djibouti have in recent weeks been aiming powerful lasers at American aircraft that also operate in or near the country, which is where the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden meet. She did not detail the number of incidents but said the lasers — which can be used to target aircraft — caused minor eye injuries to two American pilots. The accusations came a time when the two countries have found themselves increasingly at odds, particularly over trade, which was the subject of a second day of talks here in Beijing attended by President Trump’s senior economic advisers and their Chinese counterparts.”
-Steven Lee Myers, “For U.S. and China, Lasers and Missiles Heighten Military Tensions,” The New York Times online, May 4, 2018