China today dismissed Japan's accusation that a Chinese military aircraft had approached "unusually close" to two Japanese warplanes over the East China Sea, saying Tokyo is "a thief who cries thief".
Geng Yansheng, spokesman for Chinese defence ministry, said in a statement that Japan's YS11EB and OP3C aircraft tailed China's Tu-154 plane, coming as near as 30 metres from the Chinese plane when it was conducting a routine patrol over the sea at around 10 am yesterday.
The Japanese fighters' actions seriously threatened the safety of China's plane, Geng said.
The spokesman said Japan's accusation was just "like a thief who cries thief."
It was the second time in less than three weeks that Japan has accused China of dangerous manoeuvres in the skies near the hotly-contested Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus.
The recent flare up in the long-running territorial dispute comes after a similar incident on May 24, when Japan said Chinese aircraft had come within a few dozen metres of its warplanes.
Japan today summoned the Chinese ambassador to complain about the jets' close brush.
Japan's dispute with China is heavily strained by differences over shared history. It is, however, being played out in the seas and in the skies, where boats and planes have sparred for nearly two years.
Allegations in China that Japan has not properly atoned for its wartime aggression has also contributed to the chequered relationship.
Earlier, answering a question Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that the tension over the East China Sea is entirely caused by the actions of Japanese planes.
Hua said Japan has "ignored the facts" and "hyped up this incident and the so-called China threat".
We are strongly opposed to this and firmly protest this, she said.
