Russia's defence ministry denied Sunday that a Russian jet that intercepted a US Air Force plane earlier this week had acted unsafely, dismissing the Pentagon's criticism.

The Pentagon said Saturday that a Russian SU-27 had flown in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner while intercepting a US Air Force reconnaissance plane above the Baltic Sea on April 14.

"The entire flight of the Russian plane was conducted in strict compliance with international rules on the use of air space," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. "There were no emergency situations."

Moscow said the SU-27 had been dispatched to identify an "aerial target travelling toward the Russian border at high speed."

The aircraft detected by Russia was an American RC-135 plane, which the Pentagon said was conducting a routine flight.

When the RC-135 established visual contact with the Russian jet, the American plane "changed its flight route away from the Russian border," Konashenkov said.

Pentagon spokeswoman Laura Seal said Saturday that the US aircraft had "at no time crossed into Russian territory."

The incident came shortly after Russian aircraft repeatedly buzzed the USS Donald Cook this past week, including an incident Tuesday in which a Russian Su-24 flew 30 feet (nine meters) above the war ship in a "simulated attack profile," according to the US military's European Command.

US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the warship flyby earlier this week, saying it was "dangerous" and could have lead to a shoot-down.

Russia said that it had observed all safety regulations in its flights.

Ties between Russia and the West have plunged to their post-Cold War nadir over Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Kiev and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Top Chinese finance official says Trump is 'irrational'
Washington (AFP) April 17, 2016 - Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei called Donald Trump an "irrational type" in an interview published Sunday, slamming the Republican presidential frontrunner's calls for a trade war with the Asian giant.

Lou told The Wall Street Journal that the United States "wouldn't be entitled to world leadership" if Trump's proposal to impose tariffs as high as 45 percent on Chinese imports was realized.

China is a frequent target of the brash New York real estate developer in his campaign for the White House. Trump has accused the world's second largest economy of manipulating its currency and said he would impose high tariffs and renegotiate trade deals to compel Beijing to "behave."

Lou, who was in Washington for International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, is known for being an outspoken member of the Chinese leadership.

According to the Journal, almost any across-the-board tariff increase would violate World Trade Organization rules.

In such a situation, Lou was cited as saying, the United States wouldn't be entitled to its position as a world power.

In an election cycle in which both Republicans and Democrats have demonized China, Americans should realize that the two countries "are mutually dependent on each other," with much to lose in a trade war, Lou said.

"Our economic cycles are intertwined," he was quoted as saying. "We have more in common than sets us apart."

Lou is the most senior Chinese official to comment specifically on Trump, the Journal said.

Last month, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang noted that the US election was "lively and caught the eyes of many."