The US Navy has released a video of what it called an ‘unsafe interaction’ in the Taiwan Strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a US destroyer in the sensitive waterway, a risky incident amid deteriorating Sino-US ties.
The encounter comes as both countries trade blame for not holding military talks – with disagreements between the two over everything from trade and Taiwan to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and raises the spectre of future face-offs that could spiral out of control.
The US military said the USS Chung-Hoon, a destroyer, and Canada’s HSMC Montreal, a frigate, were conducting a ‘routine’ transit of the strait on Saturday when the Chinese ship cut in front of the US vessel, coming within 137 metres.
In the video, released by the US Navy late on Sunday, a Chinese warship can clearly be seen sailing across the path of the Chung-Hoon in calm waters. The Chung-Hoon does not change course.
A voice can be heard in English, apparently sending a radio message to the Chinese ship, warning against ‘attempts to limit freedom of navigation’, though the exact wording is unclear because of wind noise.
“The measures taken by the Chinese military are completely reasonable, legitimate, and professional and safe,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry.
“The US had caused trouble and provocation first, while China dealt with it in accordance with the law and regulations afterwards,” Wang told a regular Press conference yesterday when asked about the video released by the US Navy.
The Chinese defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
On Saturday night, China’s military rebuked the US and Canada for ‘deliberately provoking risk’ with the rare joint sailing.
Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping said that this ‘point blank interception’ was a demonstration of both the capabilities and ‘courage’ of China’s navy.
“The more intensified the provocation from the United States, the stronger the countermeasures from China,” Song said.
It was the second such encounter in recent days.
On May 26, a Chinese fighter jet carried out an ‘unnecessarily aggressive’ manoeuvre near a US military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace, according to the US.
“It seems to me that Beijing has instructed its forces to respond more assertively against what it believes are encroaching US and allied forces,” said Derek Grossman, senior defence analyst at the RAND Corporation, a US think tank.