US x China Military clash before 2027?

The question asks about a direct military clash between US and Chinese forces before 2027. The provided articles do not report any such incident. Article Reuters article discusses Taiwan's proposed drone budget in response to China's threat, but this is a legislative/policy action, not a military encounter. Article NYT article describes a US military attack on a boat in the Pacific, but it does not identify the boat as Chinese military or mention any Chinese involvement, so it does not meet the resolution criteria. Without any credible reporting of missile strikes, artillery fire, gunfire exchange, or intentional damaging ramming between US and Chinese forces, the evidence strongly suggests no such clash has occurred. However, given the ongoing tensions and the possibility of future incidents before the end of 2026, a very low probability is warranted, but not zero.