MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Beijing demanded that Washington cease its close watch of Chinese territory and create a plausible atmosphere for the development of bilateral ties, Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.
On Saturday, BBC reported that the United States had accused China of reckless mid-air intercept, where a Chinese Su-27 plane came dangerously close to a US Boeing P-8 Poseidon, the fourth such incident in the past five months. The Pentagon said such a maneuver contradicted international law and was "very dangerous."
China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun responded by saying that a US anti-submarine aircraft flew 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) from the Island of Hainan observing the territory, which prompted China to launch the fighter jet to investigate the target.
Reacting to the US criticism, the Chinese ministry spokesman said Washington's accusations had "absolutely no ground," as the Chinese pilot behaved professionally and observed a safe distance to the US plane.
"The reason for accidents is mass and large-scale surveillance of China's territory by the United States, which puts the aerial and sea security of both sides," Yujun was quotes as saying by the agency.
Washington has voiced its position on the disputed South China Sea islands. Despite the disagreement of its neighbors and contradictions with the United States, China continues to claim 90 percent of the sea, which contains large oil and gas reserves, as well as fish.
