Chinese J-10 Fighters Intercept US Navy EP-3 Spy Plane In East China Sea

Two Chinese J-10 fighter jets armed with air-to-air missiles flew past a US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane in the East China Sea on Sunday afternoon almost causing a ‘collision’.

One of the Chinese J-10 jets flew under the American EP-3 jet and maneuvered suddenly, popping up 300 feet in front of the US plane and causing "the [US] EP-3 to take evasive action to avoid collision,” an unnamed official was quoted as saying by Fox News Tuesday.

Both Chinese fighter jets were armed with air-to-air missiles, according to the officials. The incident occurred roughly 90 miles south of Chinese Qingdao in the East China Sea.

The episode came just days after the US Navy’s top officer, Adm. John Richardson, on Friday called his Chinese counterpart to discuss possible next steps in putting pressure on North Korea, in an effort to de-escalate tensions and roll back the rogue regime's missile and nuclear weapons programs.

It’s the first unsafe interaction between China and the US Navy in the air near China since a similar incident occurred off the coast of Hong Kong in late May.