Risky intercepts show China's fighter pilots are 'willing to challenge' the US as their planes increasingly meet in the air, former aviator says

• US officials released a video of a Chinese fighter jet intercepting a US aircraft over the South China Sea.
• The Pentagon has recorded a spike in close calls between Chinese and American aircraft.
• A former American aviator told Insider the incident highlights how Chinese pilots are "willing to challenge" the US in the area.

The US has been sounding the alarm on unsafe intercepts of American aircraft by Chinese fighter jets buzzing or crowding the planes, behavior that officials say threatens the US and other nations' abilities to operate safely in international airspace.