BEIJING (AP) -- An official Chinese newspaper is dismissing a report that China applied technology taken from a downed U.S. airplane to its own stealth fighter program.
Earlier this month, China staged the first test flight of its J-20 prototype stealth fighter, which could one day challenge American air superiority.
The Defense Ministry has commented little on the test flight other than to assert that China continued to arm for defensive purposes only.
But on Tuesday, the Global Times newspaper quoted an unidentified Defense Ministry official as dismissing an Associated Press report citing Balkan military officials and other experts saying China likely gleaned some of its technological know-how from an American F-117 Nighthawk shot down over Serbia in 1999.
Earlier this month, China staged the first test flight of its J-20 prototype stealth fighter, which could one day challenge American air superiority.
The Defense Ministry has commented little on the test flight other than to assert that China continued to arm for defensive purposes only.
But on Tuesday, the Global Times newspaper quoted an unidentified Defense Ministry official as dismissing an Associated Press report citing Balkan military officials and other experts saying China likely gleaned some of its technological know-how from an American F-117 Nighthawk shot down over Serbia in 1999.
