With China’s increasing encroachment in the South China Sea, the United States is increasingly wary of an attack on Taiwan or the Philippines. In a recent White House speech, President Joe Biden stated that the US would defend the Philippines if China invaded.  Almost a year ago, a Chinese balloon was shot down over the mainland US, highlighting the lengths that the US will go to defend their country.  Over a month ago, the Philippine Coast Guard removed a Chinese floating barrier in a disputed shoal, thrusting the South China Sea dispute back into the spotlight. In late October, a Chinese Coast Guard ship intentionally rammed into a Filipino Coast Guard boat and the ship it was escorting in the South China Sea. The South China Sea, though technically international waters, has been the center of international debate for many years with the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei all claiming parts of the sea. 

The conflict of this region is often exhibited in the air, as it is also international air space. Newly released footage of Chinese J-11 fighter jets intercepting an American B-52 nuclear-capable bomber over the South China Sea exhibits the risky maneuvers taken to harass the US aircraft. The Chinese jets often flew in front of the American aircrafts, blasting them with their afterburners. The jets often flew in front of the US planes and within ten feet of them, where a small error could be catastrophic. More recently, a Canadian helicopter over the South China Sea was intercepted by Chinese fighter jets. The jets fired flares, which are usually used to confuse incoming missiles but could potentially blind the pilots on either side. The flares dropping into the helicopter blades, as well as the turbulence from the jets flying so close to the helicopter, could cause the rotor blades to fail. 

While the Chinese Air Force has often intercepted high-flying reconnaissance and bomber planes over international waters, they have rarely descended to harass helicopters only a few hundred feet off the ground. Due to their fast speed, these jets are not meant to be operated so close to the ground, making recovery on both sides incredibly difficult should a mistake occur. However, the US and allied countries are operating nuclear-capable aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and many others that could potentially contain weapons, very close to mainland China. 

Though the actions of the Chinese pilots are arguably uncalled for, especially when the assailed aircraft have made no attempts to attack any Chinese property, China could be feeling threatened as the air forces and navies of Japan, the US, France, and South Korea have gathered to run joint aerial drills in the Pacific airspace. Japan, along with the United Kingdom and Italy, is conducting the Global Air Combat Programme, a project to manufacture a sixth-generation stealth fighter jet to form the backbone of a new Japanese Air Force. As the power of China’s surrounding nations increases, so do the tensions between the countries around the South China Sea. The increase in these military tensions is met with diplomatic ones, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, last year. Considering China does not formally recognize Taiwan as a country, the US visiting the capital heightened hostilities even more. The US has put on various economic hindrances on China, such as tariffs and a ban that stops the exports of semiconductors needed for advanced chips used for new military technology. The US has a naval base in the Philippines and as Joe Biden stated, they will defend if China attacks.  China and the US have continued to be highly competitive, each trying to undermine the other, only escalating the conflict between the two superpowers.