Beijing Denies Dangerous Interception of U.S. Spy Plane Over South China Sea

Beijing Denies Dangerous Interception

of U.S. Spy Plane Over South China Sea

May 20, 2016 

China criticized Washington for deploying a U.S. reconnaissance plane near Chinese territory, but denied a Pentagon account that Chinese jet fighters conducted a risky close-range interception—the latest spat between the powers that fueled concern over the growing risks of accidental military clashes. As WSJ’s Chun Han Wong reports:

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday that the Chinese jets maintained a “safe distance” while intercepting the U.S. aircraft over the South China Sea on Tuesday. Speaking at a routine briefing, Mr. Hong urged Washington to stop such “close-in reconnaissance activities,” saying they pose a security threat to China.

U.S. defense officials earlier said the Pentagon is reviewing initial accounts that two Chinese J-11 fighters made an “unsafe” interception of a U.S. Navy EP-3 spy plane in international airspace. One official said the American pilot had dropped altitude out of concern after one of the Chinese jets closed the distance between the planes to about 50 feet.