An American plane had to dodge to avoid collision with a Chinese jet after the US military plane came closer than 10 feet.
The US military said on Thursday that a Chinese military plane came within 10 feet (3 meters) of a US Air Force plane in the disputed South China Sea last week and ordered it to conduct aggressive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace. Had to be forced
The United States has called out a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft following close encounters.
The US military said in a statement that the incident, which involved a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft, occurred on December 21.
It added, "We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law."
A US military spokesman said the Chinese jet came within 10 feet of the plane's wing but 20 feet of its nose, causing the US aircraft to maneuver.
A separate US official said that the United States has taken up the issue with the Chinese government.
The Chinese embassy in Washington DC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China has said before that sending ships and aircraft by the US to the South China Sea is not good for peace.
US military aircraft and ships regularly conduct surveillance missions and travel through the area.
China claims vast areas of the South China Sea that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Billions of dollars of trade takes place each year through the waterway, which also houses rich fishing grounds and gas fields.
In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in November, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised the need to improve crisis communications, and also noted what he called dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.
Despite tensions between the United States and China, US military officials have long sought to maintain open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts to minimize the risk of a possible flare-up or handling of any mishaps.
Australia's Defense Department said in June that a Chinese fighter jet had dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May.
Australia said the Chinese jet flew in front of the RAAF aircraft and released a "bundle of husks" containing small pieces of aluminum embedded in the Australian aircraft's engine.
In June, the Canadian military accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol planes as they monitored North Korean clearance evasions, sometimes forcing Canadian planes out of their flight paths.
Relations between China and the United States have been strained, with tensions between the world's two largest economies rising over everything from Taiwan's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August angered China, which saw it as a US attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. China later started military exercises near the island.
The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means of its defense.
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