US Air Force Plane Forced To Do ‘Evasive Maneuvers’ To Avoid Collision with Chinese Fighter Pilot [VIDEO]

The US military reported on Thursday that on December 21, a Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to a US Air Force aircraft conducting routine operations over the South China Sea, nearly causing a collision between the two aircraft.

In an unsafe move, the Chinese pilot of a J-11 jet flew in front of and 20 feet from the nose of a US Air Force RC-135 plane, the US military said in a statement. The US pilot had to make evasive moves to avoid hitting the Chinese plane.

Chinese Fighter Jet Flies Near US Air Force Plane

In a statement released on Thursday, the US Indo-Pacific Command, which is part of the US Armed Forces and is in charge of protecting the national interests of about 30 countries in the area, said that it expected all countries in the area to use international airspace safely and by international law, according to New York Times.

The command shared a short video clip of the incident, which shows the Chinese plane coming close to the American jet before the pilot starts making moves to avoid it.

INDOPACOM's video of the event shows that the J-11 flew off the nose of the RC-135. As the two planes get closer, a defense official said it is unlikely that the Chinese jet could have kept a safe visual distance from the American plane, which was staying on its course and speed. The RC-135 then moves away from the Chinese jet to avoid a collision by going down.

The official said that most interactions between planes, including those between the US and China, are safe and done professionally. But when they are found to be unsafe, like in this case, the US responds through diplomatic and military channels that keep them in touch with Beijing.

Indo-Pacific Region Issue

The US doesn't agree with these claims of territory, and they do operations there all the time, like freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

The US Indo-Pacific Joint Force desires the Indo-Pacific region to be free and open, the statement said. As required by international law, it will continue to fly, sail, and operate at sea and in international airspace while making sure all ships and planes are safe.

In the past few years, Beijing has become more assertive, building military bases in the sea and sending ships and planes near islands that both Japan and China claim.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said earlier this year that China was the biggest threat to the world order and that the US would work with its allies to stop China from being so aggressive.

Australia and Canada, which are both allies of the United States, have recently said that the Chinese military is doing dangerous intercepts over the Pacific. In June, Chinese jets flew close to a Canadian plane that was watching North Korea. Sometimes they were so close that the pilots could see each other. In May, the Australian government said that a Chinese plane had fired flares, cut in front of an Australian plane, and thrown out the chaff, which is made of metal and is used to throw missiles away.

Some of the accidents have been fatal. In 2001, a Chinese fighter jet and a US Navy surveillance plane crashed into each other over the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot died, and the US plane had to perform an emergency landing on Hainan Island.

The 24 American crew members were held by the Chinese government for more than a week. They were only let go after the American ambassador to China sent a letter of apology, CNN reported.