Chinese jets make 'unsafe' intercept of US spy plane over South China Sea

This is not the first time when US and Chinese aircraft have encountered each other

The US says its surveillance plane was on a routine flight (Wikipedia)

China has denied accusations from the US that two of its jets intercepted an American spy plane over the South China Sea in what Washington said was an unsafe manuevre.

Officials at the Pentagon told reporters they were reviewing an incident on May 17 when two Chinese aircraft approached the US Navy EP-3 spy plane over the northern end of the South China Sea. The officials claimed that one of the J-11 Chinese jet fighters came within 50 feet of the US plane, causing the pilot to drop altitude.

“We are reviewing a May 17 intercept of a US maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft by two tactical aircraft from the People’s Republic of China,” said Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis, according to Reuters.

The US and China have accused each other of militarising the South China Sea (AP)

“The incident occurred in international airspace during a routine U.S. patrol in the South China Sea. Initial reports characterised the incident as unsafe.”

The incident, likely to increase tension in and around the contested waterway, took place in international airspace on Tuesday as the US spy plane carried out what it called a “routine” patrol.

The encounter comes a week after China scrambled fighter jets as a U.S. Navy ship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea.

Another Chinese intercept took place in 2014 when a Chinese fighter pilot flew acrobatic maneuvers around a US spy plane.

This was not the first time that US and Chinese aircraft have had close encounters (AP)

The intercept occurred days before President Barack Obama travels to parts of Asia from May 21-28, including a Group of Seven summit in Japan and his first trip to Vietnam.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.

Washington has accused Beijing of militarising the South China Sea after creating artificial islands, while Beijing, in turn, has criticised increased US naval patrols and exercises in Asia.

The Pentagon statement said the Department of Defense was addressing the issue through military and diplomatic channels.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the US statement was not true and that the aircraft had been engaging in reconnaissance close to China's island province of Hainan.

“It must be pointed out that US military planes frequently carry out reconnaissance in Chinese coastal waters, seriously endangering Chinese maritime security,” Mr Hong told reporters.

“We demand that the United States immediately cease this type of close reconnaissance activity to avoid having this sort of incident happening again. They maintained safe behavior and did not engage in any dangerous action.”