CNN –
A Chinese warplane came within 10 feet of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the U.S. military.
The Chinese pilot “flyed in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, demonstrating poor airmanship by approaching, flying under, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52 at uncontrolled excessive speed, thereby placing both aircraft at risk of collision,” US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement on Thursday. “We are concerned that this pilot did not know how close he was to a collision.”
News of the latest Chinese interception comes as President Joe Biden is expected to speak with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to the White House on Friday, CNN reported Thursday. It is not clear whether the meeting will be a formal discussion or a more informal meeting. Wang is also expected to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday and national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday.
Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping could also meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco next month, although neither side has confirmed their final plans.
The United States and China released footage on Thursday accusing each other of provocative maneuvers in and around the South China Sea, escalating tensions over the disputed waterway.
China’s Defense Ministry released a video during a regular news conference saying the USS Ralph Johnson conducted a “close-range harassment” on August 19 against a Chinese Navy task group conducting routine exercises in the South China Sea.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the video “shows that the US side is the real provocateur, risk-taker and disruptor.” Wu said the US warship’s actions “endanger China’s national security,” adding , China will “take all necessary measures to resolutely protect national sovereignty.”
The top Pentagon official in charge of Indo-Pacific security, Ely Ratner, said earlier this month that the U.S. had seen more cases of “compulsive and risky” behavior toward U.S. aircraft by Chinese pilots over the East and to the east in the past two years South China Seas than in the entire previous decade.
“We have experienced more than 180 such incidents since fall 2021,” Ratner said. “It is a centralized and concerted campaign to engage in these risky behaviors to force change in legitimate U.S. operational activities.”
The Pentagon’s efforts this year to contact Chinese military leaders went unanswered, and U.S. officials became increasingly concerned about the lack of military dialogue between the countries. Beijing cut off communications after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, angering Chinese leaders.
“I have asked to speak to my colleagues, the eastern and southern theater commanders, for over two and a half years now,” INDOPACOM Commander Adm. John Aquilin said earlier this month. “One of these requests has not yet been accepted.”
As part of the recent National Defense Strategy, the US has designated China as a “temporary challenge” capable of rivaling America in military power, economic strength and international reach. Beijing already has a standing army of more than a million soldiers, the world’s largest navy by number of ships and the largest air force in the region.
Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost the entire South China Sea and uses its military might to assert its sovereignty claims in the disputed waters and beyond, including Taiwan.
In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions against the island, including ballistic missile overflights, flights of military aircraft into Taiwan’s air identification zone, and major exercises near Taiwan. Although Xi has stated that he seeks the peaceful unification of Taiwan with China, he has not renounced the use of military force to achieve his goal.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Kathleen Magramo contributed to this report.