China Rejects US Allegations of Aircraft Intercept Over Yellow Sea

On Friday, the US Air Force’s Pacific Air Forces said that on May 17, two Chinese Su-35 aircraft intercepted a US WC-135 reconnaissance plane collecting radiation samples over the Yellow Sea. According to the US military, the intercept was "unprofessional" due to the "speeds and proximity" of both Chinese planes.

"The relevant action was professional and safe," Wu said in a statement, adding that "the US account did not accord with the facts" and stressing that the Chinese planes followed the laws and regulations to identify and verify the US aircraft.

"We hope that the US side stops relevant reconnaissance activities, to avoid this kind of incident happening again," Wu said, stressing that the reconnaissance activities carried out by the US military aircraft are cause military security issues between the countries.

The WC-135 reconnaissance plane is a modified Boeing C-135 aircraft, with its primary task being to track down radioactive debris and collect radiation samples in the atmosphere after detonation of a nuclear device.