US criticizes Chinese Navy for “unsafe” actions in Taiwan Strait

The US Indo-Pacific Command says a Chinese navy ship carried out “unsafe” maneuvers near a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait.

The United States has accused the Chinese navy of carrying out “unsafe” maneuvers near a US destroyer transiting the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

The incident on Saturday was the second close encounter between the US and Chinese militaries in the Asia Pacific region in less than 10 days.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said the Chinese ship “executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner in the vicinity of Chung-Hoon,” a US destroyer, during its transit on Saturday.

The Chinese ship “reached Chung-Hoon on her port side and crossed her bow at 150 yards (137 meters). Chung-Hoon maintained course and slowed to 10 (knots) to avoid a collision,” the statement said.

It then “crossed Chung-Hoon’s bow a second time from starboard to port at 2,000 yards (1,828 meters) and remained well outside Chung-Hoon’s port bow,” coming within 150 yards at the nearest point, the army said. US.

He added that “the US military safely and responsibly flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows.”

The incident occurred as the Chung-Hoon was sailing through the Taiwan Strait with a Canadian warship on a rare joint mission through the narrow channel separating Taiwan from China.

The Chinese military said it had monitored the pass, but did not mention a close encounter.

“The countries involved deliberately create incidents in the Taiwan Strait region, deliberately cause risks, maliciously undermine regional peace and stability, and send the wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” he said late Saturday. .

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the two ships sailed north through the strait and had seen nothing unusual.

US warships frequently navigate the strait.

The last joint passage between the United States and Canada was in September 2022.

China claims Taiwan as its territory, pledging to take it one day, by force if necessary, and has increased military and political pressure on the island in recent years.

The ship’s encounter in the Taiwan Strait followed what the US military described as a risky maneuver by a Chinese plane that “flew directly in front of and within 400 feet of the nose” of an RC-135 surveillance plane on May 26 over the South China Sea.

Beijing blamed the US “provocation”, with a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman saying Washington’s “long-term and frequent dispatch of ships and planes to closely monitor China seriously damages China’s sovereignty and national security.” “.