Beijing: China’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that close-in reconnaissance activities by U.S. planes and ships against China had severely undermined mutual trust and remained a major obstacle to the development of military ties between the two sides, says a press release received today from Beijing.
Geng Yansheng, a ministry spokesman, made the remarks at a regular press conference when replying to a question concerning media reports that Chinese fighter jets in June pushed back a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the TaiwanStrait.
Geng said that currently the military relationship between the two countries was rebounding and faced new opportunities for development.
“We demand that the U.S side respects China’s sovereignty and security interests and take concrete actions to promote the healthy and steady development of Sino-U.S. military ties,” the Xinhua news quoted Geng as saying in Press Conference.
Commenting on a plan voted recently at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee that urged U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, Geng said China categorically opposed U.S. arm sales to Taiwan for it would severely harm China’s core interests.
