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China's Defence Ministry today rejected US accusations that a fighter jet's interception of a US spy plane off the southern Chinese coast was dangerous.
The ministry blamed Washington for mounting close-in snooping.
Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said the Chinese pilot conducted operations that were "professional and the jet kept a safe distance from the US planes."
He called the US accusations "groundless" and said that China was conducting "routine identification and verification" flights.
Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby had claimed that the Chinese jet came within 30 feet of the P-8 Poseidon plane in a series of close passes.
Kirby said the Chinese jet's manoeuvering posed a risk to the safety of the US crew and was "inconsistent with customary international law."
Mr Yang blamed "large-scale, close-in reconnaissance by the US against China" as "the root cause of accidents endangering sea and air military security."
