A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a B-52 bomber, U.S. military says

AP. BANGKOK - A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the U.S. military said, underscoring the potential for a mishap as both countries vie for influence in the region. In the night intercept, the Shenyang J-11 twin-engine fighter closed on the U.S. Air Force plane at an "Uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of a collision," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement released late Thursday. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a similar incident in May, the Chinese government dismissed American complaints and demanded that Washington end such flights over the South China Sea. China has been increasingly assertive in advancing its claims on most of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, a position rejected by the U.S. and other countries that use the vast expanse of ocean for shipping. "The U.S. defense commitment to the Philippines should not undermine China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, nor should it support the illegal claims of the Philippines," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday in a news conference in Beijing. The B-52 was "Lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace" when it was intercepted by the J-11 on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. The U.S. military said in its statement that the incident will not change its approach.