China's Defense Ministry has defended the interception of a US Navy surveillance aircraft by a Chinese fighter jet in international air space on Tuesday, describing US accusations that the operation had put the US plane at risk as "groundless."

On Friday, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said that Washington had lodged a protest against China through diplomatic channels following the "dangerous intercept" of a US Navy aircraft by a Chinese fighter jet, 200 km east of Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

Kirby described the Chinese fighter jet as having flown as close as 7 to 10 meters (7.6 to 10.9 yards) to the US P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane.

The Chinese fighter jet is also said to have conducted an acrobatic "barrel roll" maneuver around the US aircraft, which was on a routine mission, apparently by way of displaying the fighter jet's weapons.

Kirby said Tuesday's incident was the fourth "close intercept" involving Chinese jets since March.

Reciprocal blame

However in a statement issued on Saturday night, Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun blamed the US for the encounter.

Describing the US accusations "groundless", he said China was conducting "routine identification and verification" flights.

Yang added that the Chinese pilot carried out operations that were "professional and the Chinese jet kept a safe distance from the US planes."

"The large-scale and highly frequent close-in reconnaissance by the US against China" was "the root cause of accidents endangering the sea and air military security between China and the United States," said the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman.

Despite US and Chinese military forces attempts to forge closer ties, tensions continue to recur with ongoing Chinese disputes over the territorial claims with neighbors including Vietnam and US ally, the Philippines.

In 2001 the US severed military relations with China after a Chinese fighter jet collided with a US Navy EP-3 spy plane, killing the Chinese pilot and forcing the US plane to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island.

ksb/tj (dpa, Reuters)