US says Chinese fighter jet could have caused air collision

A Chinese J-11 military fighter jet flies above the Taiwan Strait near Pingtan. The US military says a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to an Air Force plane over the South China Sea (Ng Han Guan/AP/PA)

The US military says a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to an Air Force plane over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to manoeuvre to avoid a collision.

US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the incident occurred on December 21 when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-11 flew in front of and within six metres (20 feet) of the nose of an RC-135, a type of large reconnaissance plane operated by the US Air Force.