Tension Over South China Sea As U.S. Military Reconnaissance Aircraft Is Intercepted By Chinese Jets Over South China Sea

Two Chinese fighter jets have intercepted a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft in an "unsafe" way over the South China Sea, Reuters reported. The Pentagon reported the patrol craft was carrying out a "routine U.S. patrol."

The South China Sea has been a hotbed for encounters between the United States and Chinese military. A week ago, another Chinese jet intercepted a U.S. Navy ship, as they deemed it sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea. In 2014, a Chinese pilot performed acrobatic maneuvers around a U.S. spy plane during an interception.

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China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei stated, "It must be pointed out that U.S. military planes frequently carry out reconnaissance in Chinese coastal waters, seriously endangering Chinese maritime security." China has demanded U.S. planes to cease reconnaissance in the area multiple times before.

The South China Sea has a $5 trillion ship trade that passes through it every year. In addition to China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have claims on the sea. The area is also home to the Chinese province of Hainan, China's expanding fleet of nuclear-armed submarines, and is a "major focus of western surveillance operations," Reuters reported.