The State Department on Tuesday offered its first muted backing for Japan over an incident last week involving a threatening radar illumination of two Japanese fighter jets by two Chinese fighters.
“China’s actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement.
“The U.S.-Japan Alliance is stronger and more united than ever. Our commitment to our ally Japan is unwavering, and we are in close contact on this and other issues,” the spokesman said.
The statement issued in the name of an unidentified spokesman carries less weight than official statements that carry a spokesman’s name, or in some cases in showing stronger support, by statements attributed directly to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The muted response comes amid President Trump’s effort to play down threatening activities by China in seeking to conclude a trade deal with China. The president has announced plans for reciprocal summits, with a meeting in China with Chinese President Xi Jinping set for April.
The response late Tuesday was the first official U.S. response to an incident Saturday involving two Chinese fighters operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
A Pentagon spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The jets twice illuminated two Japanese Air Self-Defense Force jets with what are believed to be targeting radar, an action Tokyo called dangerous.
The incident occurred near the Japanese island of Okinawa and followed a fierce anti-Japan propaganda campaign by Beijing over remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi who suggested in remarks to parliament that Japan would defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, did not criticize the State Department comments but said the training and exercises were in line with international law and conducted in a restrained manner.
China said the Japanese jets approached and disrupted Chinese navy activities during training in waters east of the Miyako Strait.
An aircraft radar lock-on is considered a provocative military action because it can be the first step before firing an air-to-air missile.
Modern jet fighters are equipped with defensive systems that can detect radar illumination.
