The United States charged on Friday that a Chinese fighter pilot conducted a dangerous intercept of a U.S. Navy patrol plane in international airspace on Tuesday, flying a few meters from the U.S. jet and performing acrobatic maneuvers around it.
The Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said the United States had lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Beijing over the incident, which took place on Tuesday 135 miles (215 km) east of the island of Hainan, site of a sensitive Chinese submarine base.
Kirby said the Chinese fighter jet made several passes at the P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine and reconnaissance plane, crossing over and under it. At one point, the jet flew wingtip to wingtip about 10 yards (9 meters) from the Poseidon, then performed a barrel roll over the top of it.