Beijing denies ‘unprofessional’ intercept of US plane

BEIJING: China has denied US allegations that two Chinese fighter jets acted unprofessionally in intercepting an American military plane earlier this week, saying that its aircraft were acting in accordance with the law".

"Related remarks from the US side are inconsistent with fact," the Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement posted to its website late on Friday.

"On May 17, a US reconnaissance aircraft was carrying out an operation in airspace over the Chinese Yellow Sea the northern part of the East China Sea, and Chinese aircraft acted to identify and investigate in accordance with the law," the statement said, calling the action "professional" and "safe".

The US Air Force said in an earlier statement on Friday that its plane, a WC-135 Constant Phoenix, was conducting a "routine mission" in international airspace when it was intercepted by two Chinese Sukhoi SU-30 fighter aircraft.

The WC-135 is a so-called "sniffer plane" designed to scan the atmosphere for signs of nuclear activity.