Chinese fighter jets pulled an 'unsafe' close pass near a US Navy plane over the South China Sea

Chinese fighter jets have once again engaged in “unsafe and unprofessional” behaviour around a US Navy plane flying over the contested South China Sea, ABC News reports.

The US Navy plane was reportedly a P-3 Orion, which is used for maritime surveillance.

China has built and militarised artificial islands in the South China Sea and frequently asserts its sovereignty over the land features despite an international court ruling against its claims.

Recently, the USS Dewey, a guided-missile destroyer, contested China’s claims in the South China Sea by sailing past the Mischief Reef, one of China’s militarised islands.

The US intends to bring this incident up with Chinese authorities at the next opportunity, according to ABC.

This incident is similar to another occurrence earlier in May, when a Chinese jet reportedly flipped over and flew upside down about 150 feet above a US Air Force WC-135.

NOW WATCH: The US’s most advanced missile system is operational in South Korea — and it has China and Russia alarmed

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.