WATCH: Chinese Fighter Pilot Comes Within 20 Feet of US Air Force Plane in South China Sea

The Department of Defense has released a video of China intercepting a U.S. aircraft.

In a statement, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command decried what it called an “unsafe maneuver”:

On Dec. 21 (China Standard Time), a People’s Liberation Army – Navy J-11 fighter pilot performed an unsafe maneuver during an intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft, which was lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace. The PLAN pilot flew an unsafe maneuver by flying in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the RC-135 to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law. We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law.

China has yet to comment on the incident, but defended its conduct in the South China Sea.

“China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend its sovereignty and security and work with regional countries to firmly defend the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday.

Over the past several years, China has been blasted for its activities in the South China Sea including building military sites on manmade islands.

Watch above via U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.