Photo: Justin Stack/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class/US Navy / Courtesy
A warship of China maneuvered in an “unsafe” manner near a US destroyer transiting the Strait of taiwanhe said on Saturday united states army.
The video taken by Canadian news outlet Global News showed the Chinese warship speeding towards the destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, until it came within 150 yards of it, as also reported by the US Indo-Pacific Command in a statement.
It is the second close encounter between US and Chinese military assets in less than 10 days, following what the US military said was an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” by one of Beijing’s fighters near one of the surveillance planes. from Washington last week.
The Chinese ship “executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner in the vicinity” of the Chung-Hoon, the Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said in the statement.
The Beijing ship “passed Chung-Hoon on her port side and crossed her bow at 150 yards. Chung-Hoon maintained course and slowed to 10 (knots) to avoid a collision,” according to the statement.
He then “crossed Chung-Hoon’s bow a second time from starboard to port at 2,000 yards and remained well off Chung-Hoon’s port bow”, coming within 150 yards at the closest pointthe US military said, adding that “the US military flies, sails and operates safely and responsibly anywhere international law allows.”
The incident occurred when the Chung-Hoon was sailing through the Taiwan Strait with a Canadian warship on a joint mission. through the delicate waterway that separates Taiwan from China.
The Chinese military said it had monitored the pass, but did not mention a close encounter.
“The relevant countries are intentionally creating trouble in the Taiwan Strait, deliberately creating risks, and maliciously undermining regional peace and stability,” said Col. Shi Yi, a spokesman for China’s Eastern Theater Command.
The incident happened when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, were taking part in a defense summit in Singapore. The United States had invited Li to meet Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, but Beijing refused.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have soared this year over issues including Taiwan and the alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down after traversing the US.
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