TIMELINE: U.S.-China military skirmishes, diplomatic friction

(Reuters) - China said a U.S. naval vessel was operating illegally off its southern island of Hainan, a Hong Kong television website reported on Tuesday, in the latest spat over U.S. military activities near China's coasts.

China claims most of the South China Sea around its coast as either part of its 12 nautical-mile territorial waters, or 200 nautical-mile wide exclusive economic zone.

Following is a timeline of significant skirmishes between the United States and China over the last decade.

May 8, 1999: U.S. warplanes bomb the Chinese embassy in Belgrade as they take part in NATO air raids on Serbia, killing three journalists in the building. U.S. President Bill Clinton and other U.S. officials apologize for what NATO describes as a tragic mistake, but Beijing is convinced it is deliberate. An outraged China suspends talks over its entry to the World Trade Organization for three months.

April 1, 2001: U.S. spy plane makes an emergency landing on Hainan after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet. One Chinese pilot dies after parachuting into the South China Sea. China detains the 24-member crew for 11 days, releasing them after the U.S. sends a letter saying it is "very sorry." China suspends all U.S. military visits to Hong Kong, a key military stopover point, for three months after the incident.

September 2002: Chinese warships from the People's Liberation Army Navy shepherd the USNS Bowditch, an unarmed Navy oceanographic survey vessel, well outside its territorial waters in the Yellow Sea, the U.S. says. China says the vessel broke international law, while the U.S. says its ships have the right under international law to conduct military surveys in China's exclusive economic zone.

Nov 22, 2007: China unexpectedly denies the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and eight accompanying ships entry to Hong Kong port for a long-planned Thanksgiving holiday visit. China changes its mind the same day, but the ships had already headed for their Japan base. Five months later, on April 28, the aircraft carrier visits the port.

March 9, 2009: The Pentagon says five Chinese ships including a naval vessel harassed U.S. Navy ship the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed ocean surveillance vessel, in international waters off Hainan. China says the U.S. ship was carrying out an illegal survey off Hainan.

Source: Reuters

(Compiled by Gillian Murdoch; Editing by Dean Yates)