Chinese fighter jet ‘was within 10ft of US B-52 bomber’ over South China Sea

BEIJING: China has been increasingly assertive in advancing its claims on most of the South China Sea as its territorial waters.

A Chinese fighter jet came within 10ft of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the US military said. In the night intercept, the Shenyang J-11 twin-engine fighter closed on the US Air Force plane at an “uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10ft of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of a collision”, the US Indo-Pacific Command said.

“We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision,” the statement added. Beijing’s ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a similar incident in May, the Chinese government dismissed American complaints and demanded an end to such US flights over the South China Sea.

China has been increasingly assertive in advancing its claims on most of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, a position rejected by the US and other countries that use the vast expanse of ocean for shipping.