WASHINGTON – Two Chinese SU-30 jets have intercepted a U.S. aircraft, which the US military described as being on a mission to detect radiation in international airspace over the East China Sea, international media reported.
Terming the action as an “unprofessional” intercept, Air Force spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Lori Hodge said: “The issue is being addressed with China through appropriate diplomatic and military channels.”
Hodge said the US was viewing the incident in the wake of initial reports from the US aircrew aboard the WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft “due to the maneuvers by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft.”
She highlighted that the plane was on a routine mission at the time of the incident and was operating as per the international law.
China is deeply suspicious of any activity by the US military in the resource-rich South China Sea.
On February 8, a US Navy P-3 spy plane and a Chinese military aircraft came close to each other over the South China Sea in an incident the Navy saw as unsafe but also inadvertent.
