Chinese fighter jet performed ‘unnecessarily aggressive’ move in front of US spy plane, says Pentagon

A Chinese fighter jet performed an “unnecessarily aggressive” manoeuvre in front of a US military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace, according to the Pentagon.

Officials at the US Indo-Pacific command posted a video of the Chinese J-16 fighter involved in the incident last week, which forced a US RC-135 plane to fly through its wake turbulence.

“The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law allows,” the statement released on Tuesday read.

In the video filmed from the cockpit, the Chinese fighter can be seen flying in front of the RC-135 plane’s nose, with the US plane then shaking in the turbulence it created.

“The US Indo-Pacific Joint Force will continue to fly in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law. We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” the statement added.

The incident comes as relations between the two countries remain strained from a string of incidents, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last August, and the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon in February after it flew over US military facilities.

In December a Chinese military plane in international airspace came within 20 feet of a US Air Force plane, which was forced to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid a collision.

US Indo-Pacific Command said that the Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet performed an “unsafe manoeuver” during an intercept of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft on 21 December.

The incident took place as the US aircraft was “lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace.”

The Independent has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC for comment.