Beijing is calling on Washington to scale back, or cancel, aerial surveillance of the Chinese mainland, since such a practice represents a security risk and a deterrent to better bilateral relations – otherwise it is ready to take measures.

Relations between China and the United States have been increasingly tense since the US shifted its foreign policy focus – together with a beefed up naval presence – toward Asia. The heightened American presence has intensified the issue of territorial claims between China and regional rivals such as Japan.