Communist China fired a military grade laser at a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft that was flying near Guam in mid-February, according to a statement from the US Pacific Fleet late last week.

“U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was lased by People’s Republic of China (PRC) navy destroyer 161 on Feb. 17 while flying in airspace above international waters approximately 380 miles west of Guam,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet said. “The P-8A was operating in international airspace in accordance with international rules and regulations. … The laser, which was not visible to the naked eye, was captured by a sensor onboard the P-8A. Weapons-grade lasers could potentially cause serious harm to aircrew and mariners, as well as ship and aircraft systems.”

China is widely considered to be the biggest national security threat to the United States from both a military and economic standpoint.

Currently, the communist nation is dealing with an epidemic of the coronavirus, which originated inside its borders. As The Daily Wire reported last week, the Chinese government’s handling of the crisis has been extremely widely criticized:

China lied to the world about the outbreak; punished journalists and doctors who sounded the alarm on the outbreak; and refused to allowed the CDC into the country to help contain the outbreak and research the coronavirus. Instead, China has falsely blamed the United States for spreading panic and fear over the outbreak because the U.S. has taken aggressive steps to contain the outbreak.

The outbreak, which numerous top officials around the world have said should not cause people to panic, has spread to approximately 60 countries around the world.

In an effort to prevent the further spread of the virus, the U.S. Navy ordered all ships that have visited countries in the Pacific region to self-quarantine for 2 weeks as a precaution.

Full statement from the U.S. Pacific Fleet on communist China opening fire on a U.S. military aircraft: