Chinese fighter jets intercept US Navy plane over East China Sea

A US Navy surveillance aircraft was intercepted by two Chinese J-10 fighter jets in an "unsafe" manner over the East China Sea on Sunday, prompting evasive action by the former's pilot to avoid a collision, the Pentagon has said.

"(the US Navy aircraft) EP-3 flying in international airspace over the East China Sea was intercepted by two Chinese J-10s. One of them came underneath it at a high rate of speed, then slowed and pulled up. This caused the EP-3's T-Cast alarm to go off essentially, and it was forced to take evasive action to prevent the possibility of collision," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters yesterday.

"Obviously it's something we watch very closely," he said.

Another Pentagon official later described the Chinese action as "unsafe".

Davis said the incident took place on Sunday in the area between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean peninsula and east of Qingdao.

He said the Chinese fighter jets were there for a while and "flying wing-to-wing" as well.

"Again, such intercepts, when they're conducted safely, are not uncommon. This particular manoeuvre that took place during the course of it was not safe," Davis said in response to a question.

According to the Pentagon spokesman, the vast majority of interactions that they have with the Chinese military are perfectly safe.

"This was the exception, not the norm," he said.

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Chinese jets intercept US radiation-sniffing plane in East China sea: WH

China denied US accusations that its jets conducted an unprofessional intercept of an American radiation-sniffing surveillance plane in the East China Sea and urged Washington to stop such activities.

The two Chinese SU-30 jets on Wednesday approached a WC- 135 Constant Phoenix aircraft a modified Boeing C-135 conducting a routine mission in international airspace in accordance with international law, Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt Col Lori Hodge said in a statement.

The WC-135 crew characterised the intercept as unprofessional "due to the manoeuvres by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft," Hodge said.

She declined to provide further details and said the issue would be addressed with China through "appropriate diplomatic and military channels."

"We would rather discuss it privately with China," Hodge said in an email to The Associated Press. "This will allow us to continue building confidence with our Chinese counterparts on expected manoeuvring to avoid mishaps."

In China, Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the American plane was conducting surveillance over the Yellow Sea the northern part of the East China Sea and that the Chinese jets moved to identify and verify the plane "in accordance with laws and regulations."

In a statement on the ministry's website, Wu said the operation was "professional and safe." Wu blamed surveillance by US planes and vessels as the "root cause of military security problems concerning sea and air" between the two countries and urged the US to stop such activities.
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