<div align="justify">China today defended the action of its fighter jets flying close to a US naval plane in the East China Sea, saying American aircraft coming near China's border and carrying out reconnaissance has threatened China's national security.<br /><br />China's Defence Ministry was responding to a report that the US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft had to take evasive action on Sunday after a Chinese J-10 warplane zoomed underneath it.<br /><br />The ministry said the action of its pilots was "legal, necessary and professional".<br /><br />"The US military aircraft coming near China's border and carrying out reconnaissance has threatened China's national security, damaged Sino-US military air and sea safety, endangered the personal safety of both pilots," it said in a statement.<br /><br />"The US side should immediately stop such unsafe, unprofessional and unfriendly dangerous military activities and take practical measures to add positive energy to the development of Sino-US military relations," it said.<br /><br />Reports from US quoting Pentagon as saying that the US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft had to take evasive action on Sunday after a Chinese J-10 warplane conducted sorties perilously close to it.<br /><br />The Chinese jet reportedly flew beneath it, slowed down and appeared in front of it, the Pentagon said earlier.<br /><br />The East China Sea is part of the Pacific and home to small islands whose ownership is disputed by China, Japan and Taiwan. China also claims a string of islets across the South China Sea.<br /><br />The US accused China of conducting unsafe intercepts twice in May, when similar encounters occurred between a WC- 135 "nuclear sniffer" plane and Chinese SU-30 fighters over the East China Sea and later in the month between a US Navy P-3 and Chinese J-10s over the South China Sea.<br /></div>
<div align="justify">China today defended the action of its fighter jets flying close to a US naval plane in the East China Sea, saying American aircraft coming near China's border and carrying out reconnaissance has threatened China's national security.<br /><br />China's Defence Ministry was responding to a report that the US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft had to take evasive action on Sunday after a Chinese J-10 warplane zoomed underneath it.<br /><br />The ministry said the action of its pilots was "legal, necessary and professional".<br /><br />"The US military aircraft coming near China's border and carrying out reconnaissance has threatened China's national security, damaged Sino-US military air and sea safety, endangered the personal safety of both pilots," it said in a statement.<br /><br />"The US side should immediately stop such unsafe, unprofessional and unfriendly dangerous military activities and take practical measures to add positive energy to the development of Sino-US military relations," it said.<br /><br />Reports from US quoting Pentagon as saying that the US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft had to take evasive action on Sunday after a Chinese J-10 warplane conducted sorties perilously close to it.<br /><br />The Chinese jet reportedly flew beneath it, slowed down and appeared in front of it, the Pentagon said earlier.<br /><br />The East China Sea is part of the Pacific and home to small islands whose ownership is disputed by China, Japan and Taiwan. China also claims a string of islets across the South China Sea.<br /><br />The US accused China of conducting unsafe intercepts twice in May, when similar encounters occurred between a WC- 135 "nuclear sniffer" plane and Chinese SU-30 fighters over the East China Sea and later in the month between a US Navy P-3 and Chinese J-10s over the South China Sea.<br /></div>