The United States Air Force Spokesman, Lt. Col. Lori Hodge has said that United States WC-135 aircraft has been unprofessionally intercepted by two Chinese Sukhoi Su-30 military planes while on a mission to detect radiation in international airspace over the East China Sea.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Hodge stated that "one of the Chinese jets came as close as 150ft (45m) to the U.S. aircraft, but the issue is being addressed with China through appropriate diplomatic and military channels". The intercept was classified as unprofessional “due to the manoeuvres by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircrafts".
In recent times, hostilities between both countries and other South East Asian countries had culminated in verbal clashes especially over activity in the Southern China Sea. For instance, in February, a U.S. aircraft carrier started what Washington described as “routine operations” in the South China Sea, with a fleet of supporting warships. The operation was initiated despite warning from China that the move was in violation of China's territorial integrity. Earlier on, two Chinese fighter jets carried out a similar intercept of a U.S. military aircraft over the South China Sea, sparking serious diplomatic row.
The Chinese Government currently claims sovereignty over almost all of the disputed territory in the South and East China seas, though other countries in the region have disputed the claim. This expansive claim has made China to build several islands and introduced routine naval patrols around the contentious territory.
