BEIJING, May 19 -- China on Thursday urged the United States to stop its frequent reconnaissance off Chinese coasts which severely threatens China's air and marine security.

A U.S. EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft on Tuesday conducted a close reconnaissance near Hainan Island. The Pentagon reported that two Chinese fighter jets conducted an "unsafe" interception of the U.S. aircraft in international air space over the South China Sea.

"The remarks from the U.S. side are not true," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told a daily news briefing

Two Chinese fighter jets tracked and monitored the aircraft without any unsafe operation, Hong said, adding that the Chinese side kept the jet within a safe distance from the U.S. aircraft.

The two Chinese fighter jets behaved professionally and safely, Hong said.