China: Turkish downing of Russian warplane to be further clarified

BEIJING - China on Wednesday said the downing of a Russian jet-fighter by Turkey on Tuesday needed to be further clarified.

"China is deeply concerned about this issue," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday, when asked to comment.

"The situation needs to be further clarified," added Hong.

"China supports all efforts on anti-terrorism from international society," said Hong, adding that China calls for more communication between parities involved.

The Turkish air force said its warplanes shot down a Russian SU-24 frontline bomber near the Syrian-Turkish borders on Tuesday morning, claiming the Russian aircraft had violated Turkish airspace. Russia refuted Turkey's statement, saying the Russian plane was in Syrian airspace when it was shot down.