TEHRAN, May 20, YJC - China has denied US allegations that two Chinese fighter jets intercepted an American military plane earlier this week, saying that its aircrafts were acting “in accordance with the law.”
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - "Related remarks from the US side are inconsistent with fact,” the
Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement posted to its website
late Friday.
"On May 17, a US reconnaissance aircraft was carrying
out an operation in airspace over the Chinese Yellow Sea (the northern
part of the East China Sea), and Chinese aircrafts acted to identify and
investigate in accordance with the law,” the statement said, calling
the action "professional” and "safe.”
The US Air Force said in an
earlier statement Friday that its plane, a WC-135 Constant Phoenix, was
conducting a "routine mission” in international airspace when it was
intercepted by two Chinese Sukhoi SU-30 fighter aircrafts.
The WC-135 is a so-called "sniffer plane” designed to scan the atmosphere for signs of nuclear activity.
"The WC-135 was operating in accordance with international law. While
we are still investigating the incident, initial reports from the US
aircrew characterized the intercept as unprofessional,” the Air Force
said.
Mid-air interceptions occur routinely in international
airspace, but the US military will often call out foreign pilots if it
judges the maneuvers to be risky or unprofessional.
Meanwhile, China urged the US to halt such reconnaissance exercises in order to prevent future incidents.
"The
American military’s frequent reconnaissance operations are the root
cause of security issues between the Chinese and US navy and air
forces,” the Chinese Defense Ministry’s statement said.