A Japanese surveillance plane flies over the disputed islands in East China Sea. (Photo : Reuters)
China has condemned Japan’s action over an incident that resulted in a scramble of military jets from the two countries which took place over the disputed islands in the East China Sea last month, Reuters reported.
In a statement released on its micro blog on Monday, July 4, China's defense ministry said that two Chinese fighter jets were on patrol in the East China Sea on June 17 when a pair of Japanese fighter jets flew at a very close distance at high speed, which China called "provocative actions."
Although it did not specify where the incident exactly took place, the statement said that fire-control radar was used by the Japanese aircraft to provoke the Chinese jets.
A Japanese senior military officer, however, confirmed that a scramble did occur, but he denied that the Chinese jet was able to make a radar lock or that the encounter was dangerous.
"The Japanese plane's provocative actions caused an accident in the air, endangering the safety of personnel on both sides, and destroying the peace and stability in the region," China's Defense Ministry said. The ministry added that the Chinese pilots "responded resolutely" during the incident.
China asked Japan not to make any form of provocation, the statement added.
The statement came after a Japanese top military commander blamed China for growing militarization in the East China Sea, adding that scramble incidents involving Chinese and Japanese aircraft have almost doubled in the past few months.
China and Japan are involved in a dispute in the East China over control of a group of islands located about 220 km (140 miles) northeast of Taiwan, known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China.
Increased presence of Chinese military activity in the East China Sea has raised concerns in Japan, which also vowed to support Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines that have similar territorial claims in the South China Sea.
