US Protests 'Unprofessional' Interception of Its Aircraft by Chinese Jets

On Friday, May 19, the US Air Force announced that two Chinese fighter jets had intercepted one of its research aircraft in an 'unprofessional' manner over the East China Sea. According to the US Air Force, two Chinese Su-30 aircraft approached a Boeing WC-135 on Wednesday, May 17. Colonel Larry Hodge, a spokesman for the US Air Force in the Pacific, stated that the US research aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace and in accordance with international law. The Boeing WC-135 is a non-combat aircraft designed solely for sampling the Earth's atmosphere to investigate potential nuclear tests. The US Air Force's Pacific spokesman noted that the crew of the American aircraft assessed the interception by the Chinese planes as unprofessional due to their 'maneuvers, speed, and close distance.' Larry Hodge refrained from providing further details but told the Associated Press that the matter is being pursued through 'appropriate military and diplomatic channels' with China. In recent years, there have been instances of tension between the US and China in East Asia. In 2013, China defined large areas of the East China Sea as part of its air defense identification zone, but the United States has refrained from recognizing such a zone, deeming it 'illegitimate.' However, it remains unclear whether the recent incident occurred within China's self-declared defense zone. Hodge also mentioned that US Air Force planes 'regularly operate in the Pacific, including the East China Sea.' Chinese military forces have yet to respond to the recent incident.