(China Sea) Chinese fighter jets approached a little too close for comfort to two Japanese self-defence forces planes over international waters in the central part of the East China Sea, according to the Japanese Defence Ministry.
The flybys took place near the Japanese islands known as the Senkakus and which Beijing has recently started claiming as belonging to China. The first incident involved a Japanese P-3C propeller-driven reconnaissance plane (first flew in 1959) and two Chinese SU-27 fighter jets. Japan is saying that the two Chinese jets came as close as 50 metres from its surveillance plane. On the same day, two Chinese SU-27s approached a Japanese YS-11EB (first flew in 1962). The Chinese jets were only 30 metres away from the Japanese aircraft.
The Chinese, obviously terrified by having somewhat ancient propeller driven aircraft flying near their and Russian warships in a Naval exercise where their seamen hold hands below decks in a sign of their newly signed male friendship agreement, have vented their spleen to the world about just how nasty the Japanese are:
The flybys took place near the Japanese islands known as the Senkakus and which Beijing has recently started claiming as belonging to China. The first incident involved a Japanese P-3C propeller-driven reconnaissance plane (first flew in 1959) and two Chinese SU-27 fighter jets. Japan is saying that the two Chinese jets came as close as 50 metres from its surveillance plane. On the same day, two Chinese SU-27s approached a Japanese YS-11EB (first flew in 1962). The Chinese jets were only 30 metres away from the Japanese aircraft.
The Chinese, obviously terrified by having somewhat ancient propeller driven aircraft flying near their and Russian warships in a Naval exercise where their seamen hold hands below decks in a sign of their newly signed male friendship agreement, have vented their spleen to the world about just how nasty the Japanese are:
State-run Xinhua news agency reports that China's foreign ministry has demanded Japan stop "disturbing" the naval exercise and "respect the legitimate rights of Chinese and Russian navies".
Military expert Zhang Junshe tells the Beijing Times that Japan often sends aircraft to interfere with military drills despite being warned not to do so.
"Japan is in the wrong in the first place by sending a warplane into the zone where we conduct the drill, and yet they are crying foul, putting the blame on China… The Japanese surveillance aircraft are well-equipped to steal information about our tactical strategies. We have to take preventive measures to stop them from endangering the safety of our military exercise,"
