WASHINGTON — Two Chinese fighters have conducted an "unsafe" intercept of a US spy plane in international air space over the South China Sea, the Pentagon said, as tensions mount in the strategically vital waters.
Tensions between
"The Department of Defense (DoD) is reviewing a May 17 intercept of a
"Initial reports characterised the incident as unsafe," he added, without giving additional details.
The incident comes more than a decade after a collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a US Navy EP-3 spy plane which killed the Chinese pilot and forced the
The crash, which occurred in 2001, unleashed an 11-day standoff as
They have traded accusations and warnings over such surveillance flights in subsequent years.
The Chinese defense ministry said in a statement faxed to AFP on Thursday that they "noted" reports of the latest incident and said it "is very likely linked to the extremely close surveillance of
The latest intercept came after the Pentagon and
"Over the past year, DoD has seen improvements in PRC actions, flying in a safe and professional manner,"
"DoD is addressing the (intercept) through the appropriate diplomatic and military channels." — AFP