China refutes Japan’s allegations of radar targeting
09 Feb 2013
China yesterday refuted Japan's allegations that Chinese warships targeted fire-control radars on Japanese vessels in the East China Sea.
"Recently, Japan has repeatedly spread false accusations that have distorted facts and defamed Chinese military's normal combat readiness training," according to a statement issued by the information office of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
The statement came in response to Japanese media reports of Japan's defense ministry claiming Tuesday that a frigate of the Chinese navy directed its fire-control radar at a destroyer of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) in the East China Sea at around 10 am on 30 January.
The Japanese added that a Chinese frigate was suspected of locking a similar radar on a MSDF helicopter on 19 January in the East China Sea.
The statement added that Japanese warships and airplanes had often conducted long and close-in monitoring of China's naval ships and airplanes in recent years.
It said this "is the root cause to air and maritime safety issues between China and Japan."
