Admiral: US flights should stop

Officer reaffirms China's right to defend its territory and airspace

A senior military officer has reiterated that China has a right to protect its maritime territory and airspace, and said that frequent close-in reconnaissance by the United States should stop.

China will not stop identification requests and interceptions "as long as foreign planes and vessels conduct close-in reconnaissance on China," said Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army navy.