🥼 27 October 2023: DAILYMAIL > Red Horse Of War! The People's Republic of China pilot then 'flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, demonstrated poor airmanship by... flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision,' the statement said. - #China

By ALEX HAMMER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 02:32 EDT, 27 October 2023 

UPDATED: 05:21 EDT, 27 October 2023

www.dailymail.co.uk

'We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision,' officials said - indicating the incident was likely an accident.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon said Chinese military aircraft have carried out maneuvers close to US planes nearly 200 times since 2021 - fueling already heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Just last week, China's defense ministry shot back at those claims, insisting in a statement that the Pentagon's criticism of its aerial intercepts was a premeditated smear on China - one with ulterior political motives.

Relations between China and the United States have already been tense, and the recent close-calls have not helped.

The 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 - has threatened to end the nations' tempestuous relationship altogether, and multiple wars currently raging overseas have added to the unrest

That said, Washington has still expressed a desire to revive military-to-military communications with China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a long-anticipated visit to Washington Thursday, as the US and China seek to manage deep strategic differences and pave the way for an expected summit between President Joe Biden and his counterpart Xi Jinping.

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