US says PLA pilots were ‘unprofessional’ in incident over East China Sea this week, but China points out US account ‘did not accord with the facts’
PLA fighter jets intercepted a US Air Force nuclear test sniffer aircraft in the East China Sea this week in a manner the US military called “unprofessional”. China rejected that view. The Defence Ministry said on Friday its aircraft acted safely and professionally after the intercept of a US aircraft flying in international air space. The ministry, in a short statement, said the US account of the incident did “not accord with the facts”, and urged the United States to cease close-in surveillance flights. Yet some Chinese analysts said the intercept could have been aimed at preventing a further escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula, as UN Security Council members consider whether to impose additional sanctions on Pyongyang over its recent missile tests. On Wednesday, two Chinese SU-30 jets approached a WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft conducting a routine mission in international airspace in accordance with international law, Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Lori Hodge said in a statement. The WC-135 crew characterised the intercept as unprofessional “due to the manoeuvres by the Chinese pilots, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft”, Hodge said. She declined to provide further details and said the issue would be addressed with China through “appropriate diplomatic and military channels”.
