Chinese fighters come within 50ft of colliding with U.S. spy plane over South China Sea as Pentagon accuses Beijing of ‘unsafe’ intercept
Two Chinese J-11 fighters came within 50ft of a U.S. EP-3 Aries spy plane
Reconnaissance aircraft dived sharply to avoid a collision, Pentagon said
U.S. defense officials claimed Navy plane was carrying out routine mission
Beijing said its fighters were at a safe distance and told U.S. to back off
Pentagon has vowed to continue missions over South China Sea as it challenges territorial claims over China’s artificial islands
By OLLIE GILLMAN
DAILYMAIL.COM
19 May 2016
Two Chinese fighter jets have come within 50ft of a U.S. spy plane over the South China Sea, leading the Pentagon to accuse Beijing of an ‘unsafe’ intercept.
A U.S. Navy EP-3 Aries reconnaissance plane was forced to take evasive action as the Chinese J-11 fighters closed in on the aircraft on Tuesday, defense officials said.
The Pentagon claimed its spy plane was carrying out a routine exercise near the South China Sea island of Hainan when the fighter jets closed in.
The J-11s came within 50ft of the U.S. plane, forcing the American pilot to descend sharply to avoid a collision, the Pentagon said.
The diplomatic row escalated on Thursday morning as Beijing rejected the Pentagon’s claims and demanded the U.S. stop flying close to Chinese territory.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the fighters monitored the U.S. plane from a safe distance.
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