China accuses US of slander and hype after aerial clash | South China Sea News

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The Department of Defense says the United States misrepresented the facts following a confrontation between a Chinese plane and an American plane over the South China Sea.

China’s Defense Ministry has accused the United States of violating international law and of defamation and hype following a confrontation between a Chinese fighter jet and a US reconnaissance aircraft over the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The late Saturday statement came days after the US military claimed a Chinese J-11 fighter jet came within 6 meters (20ft) of a US RC-135 plane on December 21 , forcing the latter to perform evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

But Tian Julin, spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, said the US Indo-Pacific Command had distorted the facts about the incident and that it was the US aircraft that engaged in dangerous maneuvers against the Chinese plane.

Tian said the US plane was carrying out intentional close reconnaissance on China’s southern coast when the People’s Liberation Army sent fighter jets to track and monitor the plane.

Despite multiple warnings from the Chinese side, the US aircraft suddenly changed its flight position in a dangerous approach motion, which seriously compromised the flight safety of the Chinese military aircraft, he said.

The Department of Defense also released video of the incident, which it said showed the US plane maneuvering towards the Chinese plane.

The United States deliberately misleads public opinion in order to confuse the minds of the international public, Tian said.

We solemnly request the US side to restrict the actions of the frontline naval and air forces, strictly abide by related international laws and agreements, and prevent accidents at sea and in the air.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, but parts of it are disputed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

Trillions of dollars in trade pass through the waterway every year, which also contains rich fishing grounds and gas deposits.

US military planes and ships regularly carry out surveillance and travel in the region, measures that China says are not good for peace.

Relations between the United States and China have been strained, with growing friction between the world’s two largest economies over a range of issues, including Beijing’s human rights record and its claims on the self-governing island of Taiwan.

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