The crew of a U.S. Navy EP-3 spy plane had to make evasive actions when a Chinese J-10 fighter came within 300 feet of the aircraft on Jul. 23. China’s Ministry of Defense said on Jul. 25 that the intercept was legal.
By Li Pang [GFDL, GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Replying to a question from a reporter, spokesman Ren guoqiang said the intercept over the East Sea was “legal, necessary, and professional.”
U.S. officials say the intercept occurred 80 nautical miles from Qingdao.