The recent downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina is the latest in a history of confrontations between the US and China, particularly in the South China Sea.
June 2022: A Chinese Su-30 fighter jet had an “unsafe interaction” with a US C-130 special operations plane in the South China Sea. China’s military pilots were said to have been acting more aggressively in the region.
January 2022: Chinese forces tracked and warned the USS Benfold when it entered waters Beijing claims near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. The US Navy said its mission was in accordance with international law.
May 2021: Beijing said the USS Curtis Wilbur illegally entered its territorial waters near the Paracel Islands, which the US denied.
September 2018: The guided missile destroyer USS Decatur got perilously close to its Chinese counterpart in contested waters in the South China Sea.
December 2016: China scooped up an underwater US drone in international waters. The drone was returned following a formal protest by the US.
April 2001: A midair collision of a US Navy EP-3E intelligence aircraft with a Chinese J-811 fighter jet about 70 miles from the Chinese island of Hainan led to an international dispute.
May 1999: The US struck China’s embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, killing three people. President Bill Clinton apologized to Beijing for what he called an accident.
