China and Vietnam Exchange Barbs

China and Vietnam Exchange Barbs

Chinese and Japanese officials have traded accusations after Chinese fighter jets came within a few dozen metres from Japanese military aircraft that had entered Beijing's air defence zone over the East China Sea.

China's defense ministry claimed that a Japanese surveillance plane and one other entered the zone on Saturday during a joint military drill with the Chinese and Russian navies.

A ministry statement condemned the move and demanded that Japan "stop all reconnaissance and interference activities, or Japan would be solely responsible for all consequences".

The Japanese defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, responded by calling the Chinese actions "outrageous". He said the two Chinese jets were armed with missiles and twice came within 30 metres (100ft) of the Japanese planes.

"I believe those were dangerous acts that could have led to unanticipated accidents," Onodera said on Sunday. "An ordinary flight above open sea should never experience a close encounter like that. Apparently, these were proximate flights (by China) that were out of line."

The two countries have clashed frequently over conflicting claims in the East China Sea, with China declaring its air defence zone over a swath of the sea last year. The US, Japan and South Korea do not recognise the Chinese zone and have flown aircraft through the area without notifying Chinese forces.