2023-06-04 03:24:29
The US Department of Defense on Sunday denounced the “increasingly risky” actions of the Chinese army in Asia. He accused a Chinese ship of having zigzagged in a “dangerous” way around an American destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday.
The Chinese vessel ‘passed the Chung-Hoon to port and crossed her bow 150 meters away. The Chung-Hoon maintained its course and slowed to 10 [noeuds] to avoid a collision,” a US military statement said.
He then “passed in front of the bow of the Chung-Hoon a second time from starboard to port at 2000 meters” and continued to sail alongside the American destroyer which he approached within 150 meters, adds the text.
“We continue to be concerned regarding the People’s Liberation Army’s increasingly risky and coercive activities in the region, including in recent days,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said.
This incident took place as the USS Chung-Hoon, an Aegis destroyer part of the United States Pacific Fleet, was sailing alongside the Canadian ship HMCS Montreal in the 180 km wide Taiwan Strait which separates the self-governing island of the same name in mainland China.
‘Creating Trouble’
The Chinese military said it monitored the passage of the two ships, but did not mention any incidents. “Relevant countries intentionally create trouble in the Taiwan Strait, deliberately stoking risks and maliciously undermining regional peace and stability,” said a Chinese spokesperson.
American ships regularly cross the Taiwan Strait, but they rarely do so with an Allied ship. The last joint American-Canadian passage dates back to September. These crossings irritate China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and claims to have sovereign rights over the strait.
This is the second Sino-American incident in less than 10 days in the region. On May 26, a Chinese fighter pilot made an “unwarranted aggressive maneuver” near a US reconnaissance aircraft flying over the South China Sea, US military officials said.
/ATS
1685850544
#SinoAmerican #incident #Taiwan #Strait
