In August a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Navy Poseidon submarine-hunter over the South China Sea in what the United States deemed a "dangerous, unsafe and unprofessional" manner. However, this was not the first such incident nor is it likely to be the last.
The U.S.-China relationship has already been strained by the EP-3 (2001), the Bowditch (2001), the Impeccable (2009) and Cowpens (2013) encounters. Chinese and U.S. experts will meet this month at the Pentagon to discuss "rules for the air and maritime domain."
What do these dangerous skirmishes have in common and how can they be prevented or managed?