Chinese fighter jet flies metres from US military plane in ‘unsafe’ South China Sea encounter

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A Chinese fighter jet flew within metres of a US air force plane in the South China Sea, forcing the American aircraft to take “evasive manoeuvres” to avoid a collision, the US military said.

A Chinese Navy J-11 fighter pilot manoeuvred about three metres (10 feet) from a US RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane’s wing during the intercept on December 21, according to Reuters. The incident was only made public on Thursday.