A U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft flying Tuesday in worldwide airspace over the East China Sea was intercepted in an “unsafe manner” by a Chinese J-10 fighter jet, several defense officials tell CNN.
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The intercept involved two Chinese J-10 fighter planes and a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane, it said in a statement.
The U.S. military said Tuesday two Chinese jets flew unusually close to one of its patrol airplanes over the East China Sea.
Chinese military forces deployed sixteen terrifying new missiles in the region in February.
The statement did not say how close the fighter came to the USA plane. The RC-135 aircraft was on a routine reconnaissance mission, according to US defense officials.
The close call is the latest skirmish between USA and Chinese aircraft.
During that same press conference, Adm. Harry Harris, the head of U.S. Pacific Command, said military relations with China were improving.
It is not known how long the intercept lasted.
Harris said China and the USA both will participate in a major upcoming military exercise. Every now and then you’ll have a – you’ll see an incident in the air that we may judge to be unsafe.
Tensions have been simmering between the countries in the nearby South China Sea – which has been heavily contested recently.
Last month the US military said Chinese J-11 jet fighters came to a point only 15 meters away from an EP-3 patrol airplane over the South China Sea.
China claims most of the waters in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in trade passes each year.
Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea after creating artificial islands.
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China also claims the Japan-administered Senkaku group of islets in the sea, calling it Diaoyu.
