The U.S. military said on Thursday that a Chinese military plane came within 10 feet (3 metres) of a U.S. aircraft last week, forcing it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

Chinese military aircraft have been displaying increasingly dangerous behavior in recent years, according to the United States.

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A Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft were involved in the incident on Dec. 21, the U.S. military said.

We call on all countries in the region to respect international laws concerning the use of international airspace, it added.

The U.S. aircraft took evasive maneuvers after a Chinese jet came within 10 feet of the wing and 20 feet from the nose of the plane.

An official from the United States said the U.S. has raised the issue with the Chinese government. Washington D.C.’s Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Previously China has declared that it is bad for world peace when the United States sends ships and aircraft into the South China Sea.

Surveillance operations are routinely conducted by U.S. military planes and ships in the region.

China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea which overlap with the exclusive economic zones of a number of neighboring countries, namely Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines.