The United States military released video on Monday of what it called an “unsafe” Chinese manoeuvre in the Taiwan Strait on the weekend, in which a Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of an American destroyer, forcing the U.S. vessel to slow to avoid a collision.
The incident occurred on Saturday as the American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting a so-called freedom of navigation transit of the strait between Taiwan and mainland China.
China claims the democratic self-governing island of Taiwan as part of its own territory, and maintains the strait is part of its exclusive economic zone, while the U.S. and its allies regularly sail through and fly over the passage to emphasize their contention that the waters are international.
During the Saturday transit, the Chinese guided-missile destroyer overtook the Chung-Hoon on its port side, then veered across its bow at a distance of about 137 metres, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The American destroyer held its course, but reduced speed to 10 knots (about 18 km/h) “to avoid a collision,” the U.S. military said.
Chinese ship didn’t cut off Canadian frigate
The video released Monday shows the Chinese ship cutting across the course of the American one, then straightening out to start sailing in a parallel direction.
The Indo-Pacific Command said the actions violated maritime rules of safe passage in international waters.
WATCH | Chinese warship nearly hits U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait:
A Chinese warship came dangerously close to the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon during a joint Canada-U.S. naval mission in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday. The Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal was nearby at the time. U.S. officials called the move “unsafe,” while China accused the U.S and its allies of “provocation” for holding the exercises.
The Chinese ship did not attempt a similar manoeuvre on the Canadian frigate, which was sailing behind the American destroyer.
“Chung-Hoon and Montreal’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the combined U.S.-Canadian commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Indo-Pacific Command said. “The U.S. military flies, sails, and operates safely and responsibly anywhere international law allows.”
<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/HMCSMontreal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc{dec8eed80f8408bfe0c8cb968907362b371b4140b1eb4f4e531a2b1c1a9556e5}5Etfw”>#HMCSMontreal</a>, with <a href=”https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc{dec8eed80f8408bfe0c8cb968907362b371b4140b1eb4f4e531a2b1c1a9556e5}5Etfw”>@USNavy</a> destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait. 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇦 and partners operate for peace and security in the region. <br><br> <a href=”https://twitter.com/INDOPACOM?ref_src=twsrc{dec8eed80f8408bfe0c8cb968907362b371b4140b1eb4f4e531a2b1c1a9556e5}5Etfw”>@INDOPACOM</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/US7thFleet?ref_src=twsrc{dec8eed80f8408bfe0c8cb968907362b371b4140b1eb4f4e531a2b1c1a9556e5}5Etfw”>@US7thFleet</a> <a href=”https://t.co/1yBGLmHDm9″>pic.twitter.com/1yBGLmHDm9</a>
—@CFOperations
The U.S. recently accused China of also performing an “unnecessarily aggressive manoeuvre” in the air, saying a Chinese J-16 fighter jet late last month flew directly in front of the nose of a U.S. air force reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea.
The close calls have raised concerns of a possible accident that could lead to an escalation between the two countries’ militaries at a time when tensions in the region are already high.
‘Mind your own business’
The incident in the Taiwan Strait came on a day when both U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu were in Singapore for an annual defence conference.
Li on Sunday suggested that the U.S. and its allies have created the danger with their patrols, and was intent on provoking China.
“The best way is for the countries, especially the naval vessels and fighter jets of countries, not to do closing actions around other countries’ territories,” he said through an interpreter. “What’s the point of going there? In China we always say, ‘Mind your own business.”‘
Austin had invited Li to talk on the sidelines of the conference; Li refused.
