China has called on the United States to stop its close reconnaissance activities after the Pentagon reported that two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a US military spy aircraft over the South China Sea. “Two tactical [J-11s] aircraft from the People’s Republic of China” intercepted the Navy EP-3 Orion, a US maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which was on a “routine patrol” in international airspace, Defense Department spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza told NBC News. Baldanza said: “The Chinese jets flew by the US aircraft at a distance of approximately 50 feet (15 meters). “Initial reports characterized the incident as unsafe” Press TV reports: Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters Thursday that the Chinese aircraft kept a safe distance from the US plane, which was flying close to China’s island province of Hainan. Hainan is a military area of increasing sensitivity for China. Its bases on Hainan are home to an expanding fleet of nuclear-armed submarines and a big target for ongoing Western surveillance operations. The Guangdong coast is also believed to be home to some of China’s most advanced missiles, including the DF-21D anti-ship weapon. “We demand that the United States immediately cease this type of close reconnaissance activity to avoid having this sort of incident happening again,” Hong said. The Pentagon said on Wednesday Chinese jets carried [...]
