Chinese Jet Intercepts U.S. Navy Plane in South China Sea, Raising Tensions Between Nations

A U.S. Navy reconnaissance jet was intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet in the South China Sea on Friday, according to a CNN crew on board the American plane. The Chinese jet, an armed J-11 fighter, flew alongside the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for over an hour as it passed over the Paracel Islands, a group of about 130 small atolls, the biggest of which are home to Chinese military bases.

The crew aboard the U.S. plane reported that the Chinese jet was so close, they could see the pilots turning their heads to look at them. During the encounter, a voice from a ground station belonging to China’s air force warned the U.S. plane, saying “No approaching any more or you will pay full responsibility.”

U.S. officials said that encounters like this one, though professional, are becoming more frequent as Beijing and Washington step up their campaigns for influence in the Pacific. The U.S. Navy plane had been in the air for a few hours before the Chinese jet intercepted it, and the crew was given rare access to the flight.

The South China Sea has been a source of tension between the two countries for years, with China claiming sovereignty over the islands and the U.S. challenging those claims. The U.S. has accused China of militarizing the region, while China has accused the U.S. of interfering in the region’s affairs.

The incident on Friday is the latest in a series of encounters between the two countries in the South China Sea, and is a reminder of the ongoing tensions between the two nations. It is unclear what the outcome of the incident will be, but it is certain that the situation will be closely monitored by both sides.