As this publication reported yesterday, the United States has denounced the interception of one of its RC-135 collections aircraft over the Pacific Ocean by a Chinese J-16 fighter. The U.S. claimed the intercept was “unnecessarily aggressive”.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense have now responded.
At 0400 EST on 31 May 23, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told press that US reconnaissance against China has always been provocative and the “root cause” of maritime safety issues and that China will always take steps to ensures its sovereignty and security.
By 0816 EST, a spokesperson for the Chinese Southern Theater Command told press that their air forces tracked and monitored the US Air Force RC-135. They claimed that their forces dealt with the incident within international norms. laws, and regulations and acted professional.
