“During the night-time intercept,the PRC[People’s Republic of China] pilot flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner,demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed,flying below,in front of,and within 10 feet of the B-52,putting both aircraft in danger of collision,” a US military statement said.
“We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision,” it added.
Earlier this month,the Pentagon said Chinese military aircraft had carried out manoeuvres close to American aircraft nearly 200 times since 2021.
Last week,China’s Defence Ministry said Pentagon accusations of “risky and coercive” aerial intercepts was a premeditated smear on China with ulterior political motives.
Relations between China and the United States have been tense,with friction between the world’s two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.
But Washington has been eager to revive military-to-military communications with China.