Two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a United States Navy plane that was flying over the East China Sea on Sunday, Reuters reported US officials as saying. The two Chinese J-10 aircraft intercepted the flight around 148 km from the Chinese city of Qingdao.

One of the aircraft came as close as 300 feet to the US one, forcing it to change direction, the report added. However, incidents like these are not rare, since the Chinese closely monitor any activity around their coast, especially by the US.

Separately, the Pentagon has said it will soon test its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system again. The US had shot down a simulated missile to test its THAAD system in June. THAAD has been deployed to South Korea, a move the Chinese have criticised, as they believe it can probe their territory as well, Reuters reported.