China says its aircraft acted safely after U.S. complains of intercept

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its aircraft acted safely and professionally after the U.S. military said two Chinese SU-30 aircraft carried out an "unprofessional" intercept of a U.S. aircraft flying in international air space. The ministry, in a short statement, said the U.S. account of the incident did "not accord with the facts", and urged the United States to cease close-in surveillance flights. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Mark Heinrich)