BEIJING – China’s defense ministry has rejected US accusations that its military has been engaging in “risky and coercive” aerial intercepts in the Indo-Pacific region.
The ministry said in a statement on Friday that the US allegations were a “premeditated smear on China with ulterior political motives.”
The US Department of Defense had said on Tuesday that Chinese fighter jets had been increasingly engaging in unsafe and unprofessional intercepts of US and allied aircraft in international airspace.
The Chinese defense ministry denied the accusations, saying that the US had been hyping up a “Chinese military threat” that it said was non-existent.
The ministry said that the US was the one engaging in provocative actions by sending warships and planes to China’s doorstep.
It urged the US to stop its provocative actions and avoid “misunderstandings and misjudgment.”
