WASHINGTON: A Chinese military plane came within 20 feet (six metres) of the nose of a US air force aircraft in the contested South China Sea last week and forced it to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid a collision in international airspace, the US military said on Thursday.

The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of “increasingly dangerous behaviour” by Chinese military aircraft.

The incident, which involved a “Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet” and a US air force RC-135 aircraft, took place on Dec 21, the US military said in a statement.

“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” it added.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2022