China dismisses US account of ‘dangerous intercept’ in South China Sea
Beijing instead blames US flight for infringing its territory sovereignty
The defence ministry yesterday accused the US armed forces of posing a danger in the South China Sea last week, rejecting Washington’s account of an encounter between Chinese and US military aircraft.
An analyst said common ground on North Korea might have temporarily tamped down tensions between the two countries over the disputed waters but the renewed strains suggested long-term problems in managing the region could not be resolved.
The ministry said a US surveillance plane was spotted in airspace southeast of Hong Kong on Thursday, and Chinese military aircraft intercepted it in accordance with the law.
“The operation by the Chinese military aircraft was professional and safe,” the ministry said. “Recently, the US has been sent military vessels and aircraft to China’s maritime and air space, infringing upon China’s territorial sovereignty and posing a threat to the lives of people from both sides. Such operations [by the US] are the root of Sino-US military maritime and air safety incidents.”
US officials said a US Navy P-3 Orion was 240km southeast of Hong Kong in international airspace when two Chinese J-10 fighters carried out an “unsafe intercept”. One J-10 flew within 200 metres of the front of the US plane, restricting its ability to manoeuvre, the Pentagon said.
