US says Chinese jet did unsafe intercept in East China Sea

WASHINGTON – The U.S. says a Chinese fighter jet intercepted an American reconnaissance plane at an “excessive” rate of speed in international airspace over the East China Sea on Tuesday.

Navy Cmdr. Dave Benham says the initial assessment is that it was improper airmanship, and there were no other unsafe manoeuvrs.

This is the second such incident in the past month.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says Beijing strongly objects to U.S. spy missions near its coast. He says they seriously undermine China’s maritime and airspace security.

Hong says the Chinese aircraft operate lawfully and professionally.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.