The US and China have had numerous military "encounters" at sea and in the air, particularly in the South China Sea, where Beijing is accelerating its efforts to realize its sovereignty claims based on the absurd "nine-dash line."

The USS Fort Worth departed from its naval base in Singapore last week for a seven-day patrol in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The Chinese guided-missile destroyer Yancheng shadowed the US Navy ship as it approached the Spratly Islands, which are under Vietnamese sovereignty, on May 11th. Video: US Navy

The incident occurred amid reports that the U.S. might consider sending ships and aircraft into the 12-nautical-mile zone around the reefs that China is reclaiming in the Spratly Islands.

During a meeting last week in Beijing, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Beijing to take concrete action to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. Kerry said the US was very concerned about the scale and speed of the reclamation work that China is aggressively carrying out on seven reefs in Vietnam's Spratly Islands. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi showed no signs of compromise and maintained his stance that Beijing "has the right to build" those structures. Experts predict that more US-China confrontations may occur in the future.

On August 19, 2014, a Chinese Su-27 approached very close to and performed a looping maneuver above a US P-8 anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace, 215 km east of Hainan Island. Hainan is home to a Chinese submarine base. The video above simulates the incident. Video: CBS

The Pentagon said the Chinese aircraft flew past the nose of the American plane at a 90-degree angle, exposing its belly to the P-8 Poseidon in a display of its weapons. The U.S. condemned this as unprofessional and unsafe behavior and a "provocation of deep concern."

China subsequently dismissed the US criticism as "completely unfounded" and stated that its pilots had maintained a safe distance from the American aircraft.

In December 2013, the U.S. guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens was operating in international waters in the South China Sea, near the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning. Another Chinese naval warship cut across and stopped just 500 meters in front of the American vessel, forcing the USS Cowpens to make an emergency maneuver to avoid a collision. Security expert Carl Thayer at the Australian Defence College at the time considered this near-collision to be the most serious U.S.-China maritime incident in the South China Sea since 2009. (Illustrative image: U.S. Navy)

On November 25, 2013, the US sent two B-52 bombers into the airspace over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands without notifying Beijing. This move was seen as a signal that Washington did not recognize the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) established by China two days earlier, and as a strong show of support for its ally Japan. (Illustrative image: aircraftinfo)

According to the US Department of Defense, on May 1, 2009, two Chinese fishing vessels approached the USNS Victorious (pictured) in international waters in the Yellow Sea, between China and the Korean Peninsula. At one point, the two vessels came within 30 meters of the Victorious, forcing the US ship to use water cannons to drive them away. The USNS Victorious is an unarmed reconnaissance ship operated by a crew of civilian sailors working for the US Navy. (Illustrative image: US Navy)

The Pentagon accused five Chinese ships of harassing the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea, about 120 km south of Hainan Island, on March 8, 2009. The photo shows two Chinese ships stopping directly in front of the USNS Impeccable, forcing it to make a sudden stop to avoid a collision. A Pentagon spokesperson said that at one point, a Chinese ship was only about 7.5 meters from the USNS Impeccable and condemned it as "a dangerous and unprofessional provocative operation." Washington demanded that Beijing respect international maritime law. However, Beijing argued that the US Navy had violated the law and demanded that the US ships cease such activities. Chinese defense officials claimed that the USNS Impeccable was conducting surveillance of Beijing's submarine activities when the incident occurred. Photo: US Navy

On April 1, 2001, a U.S. Navy EP-3 ARIES II reconnaissance aircraft was flying approximately 110 km from Hainan Island when it was intercepted by two Chinese J-8II fighter jets. The EP-3 collided with one of the Chinese aircraft and subsequently made an emergency landing on Hainan Island. The image shows the damaged EP-3 parked on Hainan Island after the incident. (Image: Wiki) The Chinese J-8II fighter jet was destroyed, its pilot was missing and presumed dead. Meanwhile, all 24 members of the U.S. crew were safe. They were captured, questioned, and released 11 days later. The EP-3 was dismantled and returned to the United States. China accused the U.S. of causing the collision, while the U.S. maintained it was an accident. Washington sent China over $34,000 in compensation for damages incurred as a result of the incident.

According to VNE