A Chinese military ship maneuvered dangerously just 137 meters from the US destroyer USS Chung-Hoon while it was conducting joint exercises with the Canadian Navy near Taiwan, amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, the Canadian portal Global News reported.
Global News journalists aboard the Canadian ship HMCS Montreal watched on Saturday as the Chinese ship moved into the path of the USS Chung-Hoon only to divert at the last moment, an incident that occurred when the defense ministers of these countries attend a regional forum in Singapore, reports Efe.
The commander of HMCS Montreal, Paul Mountford, indicated to the Canadian media that the Chinese maneuver was not “professional” and added that the American ship also had to maneuver and reduce speed to avoid a possible collision.
Mountford opined that the incident was “clearly instigated” by the Chinese ship, as it radioed USS Chung-Hoon before carrying out the maneuver.
The United States and Canada say they were in international waters, while Beijing insists that they are in its territorial waters.
In a statement, Chinese Army Eastern Command spokesman Shi Yi said the US destroyer and Canadian frigate sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday and there were also Chinese forces there, but did not mention the danger of a collision.
Shi Yi pointed out that the Chinese forces acted within the law and will always maintain vigilance to respond to any threats and provocations.
The incident occurred as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu are attending the Shangri-La security forum in Singapore over the weekend, the largest such event in Asia.
The United States offered to maintain a bilateral between Austin and Li, but Beijing refused.
In his speeches at the forum, Austin has reiterated the US will to maintain the status quo in Taiwan and Li has claimed that Taiwan, a self-governing territory, belongs to China and does not rule out using force to impose its sovereignty.
