US and China look to fight sea row in skies
beijing — China denied US accusations that its jets conducted an unprofessional intercept of an American radiation-sniffing surveillance plane in the East China Sea and urged Washington to stop such activities.
The two Chinese SU-30 jets on Wednesday approached a WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft — a modified Boeing C-135 — conducting a routine mission in “international airspace” in “accordance with international law”, Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt-Col. Lori Hodge claimed in a statement.
The WC-135 crew characterised the intercept as unprofessional “due to the manoeuvres by the Chinese pilot, 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”.
In China, Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the American plane was conducting surveillance over the Yellow Sea — the northern part of the East China Sea — and that the Chinese jets moved to identify and verify the plane in accordance with laws and regulations.
In a statement on the ministry’s website, Wu said the operation was professional and safe. Wu blamed surveillance by US planes and vessels as the root cause of military security problems concerning sea and air between the two countries and urged the US to stop such activities.
China declared an air defence identification zone over a large section of the East China Sea in 2013, a move the US called illegitimate and has refused to recognise.
China has demanded foreign aircraft operating within the zone declare their intentions and follow Chinese instructions. Hodge declined to say whether Wednesday’s incident was within the self-declared Chinese zone.
“US military aircraft routinely transit international airspace throughout the Pacific, including the East China Sea,” she said. “This flight was no exception.” — AP