China's defense ministry denied accusations from the United States that a Chinese PLA jet conducted "dangerously close maneuvers" and "acted in an unprofessional manner" when it approached a U.S. Navy aircraft above the South China Sea on Tuesday. 

On the contrary, the ministry said it was the U.S. that was "endangering the sea and air military security between China and the United States" by conducting "large-scale and highly frequent close-in reconnaissance" against China.

Like Us on Facebook

It also labelled the U.S. complaint about the Chinese jet pilot's "unprofessional" conduct as "groundless."

The reaction came two days after the White House complained about the Chinese jet that it said flew "dangerously close" to a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, getting as close as seven to ten meters.

The Chinese jet also performed a "barrel roll" around the U.S. aircraft, apparently intending to show the American crew that the jet was armed.

In its first response to the U.S. protest, the Chinese defense ministry mentioned that there was another aircraft with the P-8 Poseidon - a P-3 Orion surveillance - which was not mentioned in the White House and Pentagon statements about the incident.

Defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said the P-8 Poseidon, accompanied by a P-3 Orion which he described as an "anti-submarine warfare aircraft," flew about 220 kilometers east of Hainan around 9 a.m. on August 19. Yang said the U.S. aircraft were conducting "close-in reconnaissance against China."

Yang also said the U.S. should adopt measures to "reduce and eventually stop its reconnaissance activities against China, so as to create a good environment for the development of bilateral military relations."

The U.S. severed military ties with China in 2001, after a Chinese fighter jet collided with a U.S. Navy EP-3 spy plane. The Chinese pilot was killed, and the U.S. plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The U.S. crew were detained for several days before they were released after negotiations at the diplomatic level. 

TagsChina Defense Ministry, J11, p-3, P-8