A Chinese military fighter jet performing an “unsafe maneuver” came dangerously close to a US Air Force reconnaissance plane flying in international waters in the South China Sea last week, CNN reports, raising alarm about increasing Chinese aggression in the region.
The RC-135 Rivet Joint with 30 crew aboard took evasive action to avoid a midair collision with the Chinese Navy J-11 on December 21st. The J-11 flew close off the nose of the RC-135, according to the US military Indo-Pacific Command, forcing the RC-135 off its course.
Chinese aircraft have been taking aggressive action in the region, specifically relating to flights directed at Taiwanese airspace, hoping to provoke a reaction. Actions such as this jet’s has caused collisions with American aircraft before: in a 2001 incident, a Chinese jet collided with an American plane, killing the Chinese pilot and starting an international incident after the American spy plane landed intact on a Chinese island, giving Chinese access to US surveillance technology.