The Pentagon says two Chinese fighter jets flew within about 50 feet of a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane Tuesday in global airspace over the South China Sea.
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The Department of Defense said the aircraft was flying in a “routine patrol” in global airspace when “two tactical aircraft” from China intercepted it.
Confrontations between USA and Chinese military forces have become diplomatic incidents in recent years, including a 2001 mid-air collision between a US patrol aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet.
“Over the past year, DoD has seen improvements in PRC actions, flying in a safe and professional manner”, the statement said.
The resulting standoff saw the American crew held by China for more than a week while demanding an apology from the U.S. It only ended with an ambiguously worded diplomatic statement. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.
A separate defense official told CNN this type of incident is not something the US military frequently sees in that region with Chinese aircraft.
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Much to Beijing’s chagrin, the USA military has conducted several “freedom of navigation” operations, in which planes or ships pass within a 12-nautical-mile buffer around the Chinese installations.
