The U.S. military released video Monday that exposes a dangerous Chinese maneuver in the Taiwan Strait in which a Chinese naval vessel sharply cut the path of a U.S. warship.
The incident occurred Saturday as the destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and the Canadian frigate HCS Montreal conducted what the US is calling a “freedom of navigation” between the island of Taiwan and mainland China.
China claims Taiwan as its province and claims that the Strait is part of its exclusive economic zone, while the US and allied countries regularly sail and fly over the airspace, emphasizing that these are international waters.
During the pass on Saturday, the Chinese guided-missile destroyer overtook the Chung-Hoon on the port side and drifted ahead of her bow for a distance of about 137 meters, according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.
The U.S. destroyer stayed on course but slowed to 10 knots “to avoid collision,” the military said.
Footage released today shows the Chinese ship cutting off the course of the US destroyer and righting itself to sail in a parallel direction.
#HMCSMontrealof @US Navy The destroyer USS Chung-Hoon was conducting a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait. and and partners work towards peace and security in the region.
@INDOPACOM @US7thFleet pic.twitter.com/1yBGLmHDm9
– Canadian Forces Operations (@CFOperations) June 3, 2023
Indo-Pacific Command said the actions violated maritime rules for safe passage in international waters.
The Chinese ship did not perform a similar maneuver on the Canadian frigate, which was following the American destroyer.
“The transit of the Chung-Hoon and Montreal through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the joint commitment of the U.S. and Canada to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the U.S. military said in a statement. “The United States military flies, sails and operates safely and responsibly wherever international law permits,” he added.
Washington denounces “aggressive maneuver” by Chinese fighter jet in South China Sea
The US recently accused China of also carrying out an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” in the skies over the South China Sea.
A Chinese fighter model J-16 is seen in video released by the Pentagon flying close to a US aircraft, an RC-135, normally used for surveillance. The Chinese pilot then positioned himself well in front of the RC-135, which had to fly through the turbulence of the Chinese fighter.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite protests from neighboring countries. The US also does not recognize Beijing’s claims to a strategic maritime area, through which some $5 billion (about €4.68 billion) in international trade passes annually.
The Taiwan Strait incident occurred on the same day that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu attend the Asia-Pacific region’s premier security event in Singapore, the Shangri-La Dialogue .
On Sunday, Li accused the US and its allies of creating danger and provoking China with its operations.
“It is best that countries, especially their warships and fighter jets, do not conduct approach operations around the territory of other countries,” Li said. “What’s the point of going there? In China, we always say, ‘Take care of your own business and I’ll take care of mine,'” he argued.
Beijing and Washington signed agreements to deal with “unexpected events” between their air and naval forces, but communications between the two armies were suspended by China over military support and arms sales to Taiwan by the United States or the slaughter of an alleged Chinese spy balloon in US airspace.
Beijing rejected a meeting between Austin and Li in Singapore this week.
China regularly intercepts US and allied military aircraft and ships in the South and East China Seas and in the Taiwan Strait.
Similar actions resulted in a 2001 plane crash over the South China Sea between a Chinese fighter jet and a US Navy surveillance aircraft. The Chinese plane was destroyed and the pilot was killed.
The damaged US plane landed at a Chinese Navy air base, leading to the detention of the crew and a diplomatic standoff between the two countries.
Source: DN
