Alwaght- US military officials have confirmed that the Chinese Sukhoi Su-30 jets reportedly came within close proximity of an American four-engine WC-135 jet, with one of the Su-30s flying upside down, directly above the American plane.
Lieutenant Colonel Lori Hodge, a spokesperson for the US Air Force, said on Thursday that the Chinese fighter jets had outmaneuvered the US jet, forcing it to descend hundreds of feet from its position.
“The issue is being addressed with China through appropriate diplomatic and military channels,” Hodge said.
The crew of the US Air Force WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft, also known as a “nuke sniffer,” described the confrontation as “unprofessional.”
The US’s military presence in the region concerns China, which says such presence causes unnecessary tensions.
Chinese forces conducted two more interceptions last year, one in the South China Sea and one in the East China Sea. In the second case, a Chinese J-10 fighter came within 100 feet of a US Navy RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.
China lays claim to almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year.
US-backs Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam in their claims for sovereignty over parts of the waters that command strategic sea lanes and have rich fishing grounds, along with oil and gas deposits.
Since a US strategy shift in 2009 toward Asia-Pacific, tensions and disputes between countries in the South China Sea have been increasing dramatically.
