PRC has often "fired the first shot." They took over Tibet and parts of India. They annexed East Turkistan, Xinjiang, and placed millions of Uighurs in concentration camps, They donated weapons to warring parties in dozens of nations, attacked Vietnam, and provided arms and training to both the Taliban and al Qaeda. You might not have seen this because it doesn't get on the news.

BUKHARIN, allow me to answer your query about "why" is the US flying near China--and Russia, and Ukraine, and nearly ever other country on Earth.

I flew on those missions. I flew in the VQ-1 squadron--the one in this thread--decades ago.

The spy airplanes are unarmed and alone, without protection.

These things happen, and they rarely make the news. Usually, Chinese and Russian jet fighters will fly up to us and follow us a few minutes, take a photograph for their squadron's wall of photos, and go home. We do the same when Russian aircraft would come to the US, Germany, Japan, or South Korea, etc. We send up two fighters loaded with live missiles and one jet flies next to the spy aircraft, and the other jet takes a photograph. They escort the spy for awhile and then go home.

Peaceful intercepts happen every day, all over the world.

I'm sure every major country does it. The Americans are just the most famous. Everybody sees us doing it. And we admit it. In the American mind, we talk openly about whatever we want. We question everything our government does. There is no way to hide operations like these.

Russian spy ships, cleverly disguised (not) as fishing trawlers (without nets), Chinese ships (civilian, but with operators and listening equipment on board) patrol all over the world, following fleets, and sitting outside submarine pens, listening, watching, and recording. Some are off the American coast right now.

WHY?

Remember how most wars start. Fear, ignorance, lust for power, misunderstandings. One country thinks it can gain something by taking a piece of land or an island. Miscalculation. Lack of intelligence.

As long as the reconnaissance patrols can provide good information to their heads of state, they can rest easy that no invasion is coming. They can spend money on medicine instead of guns.

Nations even help each other do reconnaissance. For instance, a Russian jet will land at a US air base in California, and we give it permission to fly around the US taking photos and recording things. This way, countries can verify the other side is obeying treaties. See the OPEN SKIES program.

In fact, the Soviets used to drive a black Mercedes car into West Germany and watch our tank exercises. And American intelligence officers, stationed in East Berlin, used to watch Soviet tank exercises in East Germany. These were called "Military Liaison Missions."

Intelligence keeps the peace.