(VOVworld) - The United States vowed on Thursday to keep up air and sea patrols in international waters after the Chinese navy repeatedly warned a US surveillance plane to leave the airspace over the artificial islands China is creating in the East Sea.

The artificial islands China is illegally creating in the East Sea seen from the US surveillance aircraft (Photo: CNN)

The Chinese navy issued eight warnings to the crew of a US P8-A Poseidon, the US military's most advanced surveillance aircraft, when it conducted the overflights on Wednesday, according to CNN, which was aboard the U.S. aircraft.
The senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, told a media briefing in Washington the U.S. reconnaissance flight was "entirely appropriate" and that U.S. naval forces and military aircraft would "continue to fully exercise" the right to operate in international waters and airspace.