<p>A US Navy surveillance aircraft was intercepted by two Chinese J-10 fighter jets in an "unsafe" manner over the East China Sea on Sunday, prompting evasive action by the former's pilot to avoid a collision, the Pentagon has said.<br /><br />"(The US Navy aircraft) EP-3 flying in international airspace on the East China Sea was intercepted by two Chinese J-10s. One of them came underneath it at a high rate of speed, then slowed and pulled up. This caused the EP-3's T-Cast alarm to go off essentially, and it was forced to take evasive action to prevent the possibility of collision," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters yesterday.<br /><br />"Obviously it's something we watch very closely," he said.<br /><br />Another Pentagon official later described the Chinese action as "unsafe".<br /><br />Davis said the incident took place on Sunday in the area between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean peninsula and east of Qingdao.<br /><br />He said the Chinese fighter jets were there for a while and "flying wing-to-wing" as well.<br />"Again, such intercepts, when they're conducted safely, are not uncommon. This particular manoeuver that took place during the course of it was not safe," Davis said in response to a question.<br /><br />According to the Pentagon spokesman, the vast majority of interactions that they have with the Chinese military are perfectly safe.<br /><br />"This was the exception, not the norm," he said. <br /><br /></p>
<p>A US Navy surveillance aircraft was intercepted by two Chinese J-10 fighter jets in an "unsafe" manner over the East China Sea on Sunday, prompting evasive action by the former's pilot to avoid a collision, the Pentagon has said.<br /><br />"(The US Navy aircraft) EP-3 flying in international airspace on the East China Sea was intercepted by two Chinese J-10s. One of them came underneath it at a high rate of speed, then slowed and pulled up. This caused the EP-3's T-Cast alarm to go off essentially, and it was forced to take evasive action to prevent the possibility of collision," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters yesterday.<br /><br />"Obviously it's something we watch very closely," he said.<br /><br />Another Pentagon official later described the Chinese action as "unsafe".<br /><br />Davis said the incident took place on Sunday in the area between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean peninsula and east of Qingdao.<br /><br />He said the Chinese fighter jets were there for a while and "flying wing-to-wing" as well.<br />"Again, such intercepts, when they're conducted safely, are not uncommon. This particular manoeuver that took place during the course of it was not safe," Davis said in response to a question.<br /><br />According to the Pentagon spokesman, the vast majority of interactions that they have with the Chinese military are perfectly safe.<br /><br />"This was the exception, not the norm," he said. <br /><br /></p>