The latest in a string of clashes between the Chinese and US militaries occurred over the South China Sea.
A Chinese plane crossed in front of an American surveillance plane over the South China Sea, and China has accused the US of "provoking" the incident.
According to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, "the United States' long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China's national sovereignty and security."
"These provocative, risky activities are to blame for the maritime security problems. Mao declared that China would keep taking all necessary measures to strongly defend its own security and sovereignty.
According to the US military, a Chinese fighter pilot last week engaged in a "unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" in close proximity to an American surveillance aircraft flying over the South China Sea.
A Chinese fighter jet crosses in front of the American aircraft in video footage that was made public by the US military. The American aircraft is shown trembling as a result of the turbulence that results.
According to a statement from the Indo-Pacific Command, the Chinese aircraft "flew directly in front of and within 400 feet [122 meters] of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence" on Friday.
"The RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law," it continued.
The event occurs when relations between Washington and Beijing are already strained over issues like Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, and the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US this year.
dangerous aerial intercepts
According to the Pentagon, China had a history of similar incidents.According to a senior US defense official, Chinese aircraft and ships have been engaging in a "alarming increase in risky aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea," actions that "have the potential to create an unsafe incident or miscalculation."
The offer from the US for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart in Singapore this week was rejected by China the previous day, prompting the announcement.
The US, according to Beijing, is "entirely to blame for the current difficulties in communication between the two militaries."
Tan Kefei, a spokeswoman for the Chinese defense ministry, said on Wednesday, "On the one hand, the United States keeps saying that it wants to strengthen communication." However, on the other side, it dismisses China's worries and obstructs communication between the two forces by putting up artificial barriers.
As part of their efforts to counter what they claim are Beijing's more forceful actions, Austin and other US officials have been pushing to strengthen ties and partnerships in Asia. However, there are also hesitant indications that the two parties are attempting to cool things down.
President Joe Biden stated that relations between Washington and Beijing could improve "very soon" after a meeting between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and top Chinese official Wang Yi earlier this month in Vienna.China often engages military aircraft from the US and its allies in the South and East China Seas as well as the Taiwan Strait that separates the two, with the People's Liberation Army serving as the largest standing military in the world and directly reporting to the Communist Party in power.
Due to this behavior, a Chinese fighter and a US Navy surveillance plane collided in the air in 2001, resulting in the loss of the Chinese plane and the death of the pilot.
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