US says Chinese intercept could have caused air collision

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. military says a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to an Air Force reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to maneuver to avoid a collision. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement Thursday the incident occurred Dec. 21 when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-11 flew within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135. The U.S. plane was “lawfully conducting routine operations” in international airspace, the statement said. China frequently challenges military aircraft from the U.S. and its allies, especially in the South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety. Such behavior led to a 2001 in-air collision in which a Chinese plane was lost and pilot killed.