US, China Security Leaders Wrangle over Fighter Jet Maneuvers

The U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice has asked China to stop dangerous intercepts of its surveillance planes. Rice, who is on a three- day visit to China, raised concerns about the interceptions during meetings with several Chinese officials, senior Obama administration officials said.

In a meeting with General Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, Rice said that both the countries must avoid incidents that could complicate the relationship between the two countries.

However, Changlong responded by asking the U.S. to decrease and eventually stop its naval and aerial reconnaissance activities near China, reports Reuters.

The altercation began last month when the United States filed a diplomatic complaint with the People's Liberation Army for the dangerous interception of a US navy surveillance and reconnaissance plane by a Chinese fighter jet.

 China responded by asking the U.S. to stop its surveillance patrols near China.

Though both sides disagreed over the incident, an Obama administration official said that Rice had constructive conversations with Chinese officials.  He also said that the Chinese took the US concerns seriously, reports the Associated Press.

Rice, who is on her first official visit to China, also met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

 President Xi in his meeting with Rice pondered on the extensive challenges facing the two countries.  He said that it was essential to deal with the problems together by building a strong bilateral relationship based on "mutual respect and win-win cooperation."

"Right now the international situation continues to undergo profound and complex changes. So it has become even more important than ever for China and the United States to work together," Xi said.

In her response, Rice emphasized the significance of the ties and the need to bring down the differences so that the cooperation between the two countries will not be impeded.

"President Obama firmly believes that the U.S.-China relationship is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world, and that there is virtually no problem of global significance that can't be better resolved when the United States and China are working together at the same table," Rice said, reports AP.