A Chinese fighter jet made an “unreasonably aggressive” maneuver near a US warplane over the South China Sea in international airspace, the US military said, according to Reuters.

A Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to an American reconnaissance planePhoto: US Navy / AP / Profimedia

The US military’s Indo-Pacific Command said a maneuver by a Chinese J-16 aircraft took place last week and caused a US RC-135 aircraft to fly through wake turbulence.

“The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate — safely and responsibly — where international law allows,” he said in a statement.

The released video shows the fighter jet flying in front of the American plane and the cockpit of the RC-135 shaking from turbulence.

A similar incident involving a Chinese fighter jet and a US RC-135 occurred in December, prompting the US aircraft to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision”, IndoPacom said at the time.