How Will a Hot War With China Start?

A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-11 fighter pilot performs 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, on Dec. 21, 2022, in a still from video. Courtesy of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Commentary

The near collision over the South China Sea on Dec. 21, 2022, between a Chinese J-11 fighter aircraft and a U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircraft compels the recognition that an incident at sea or in the air between Chinese and U.S. forces might lead to a rapid escalation of the incident. This incident requires that the analytical community consider how another kinetic Sino-American war might commence.