The U.S. military says a Chinese military jet flew within feet of a U.S. Air Force aircraft as the two jets passed through international airspace while flying over the contested South China Sea.

The incident last week forced the U.S. aircraft's pilot to take evasive maneuvers to prevent a collision, according to the U.S. military.

Reuters reported that the Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet was recorded flying extremely close to a U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the 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. military said, "We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law."