The US Navy published a video on Monday showing a Chinese warship’s “unsafe” movement in the Taiwan Strait over the weekend amid rising tensions. On Saturday, a Chinese naval ship, Luyang III, ran into the course of a US destroyer that slowed down to prevent a collision. The Chinese ship straightened and remained parallel. USS Chung-Hoon and HMCS Montreal were transiting the Taiwan-China strait under “freedom of navigation” rules. According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, the Chinese guided-missile destroyer overtook the Chung-Hoon on its port side and swerved over its bow at 137 meters (150 yards).
SIMILAR INCIDENTS RAISE TENSIONS
China claims Taiwan, a democratic self-governing island, as part of its territory and claims the strait as part of its exclusive economic zone, while the US and its allies often sail through and fly above the route to highlight that the waters are international. US Indo-Pacific Command stated the activities breached international marine safe passage standards. The Canadian frigate behind the US destroyer was not targeted by the Chinese ship.
The US Indo-Pacific Command noted that the transit of the Chung-Hoon and the Montreal across the Taiwan Strait demonstrated the joint U.S.-Canadian commitment to an open and free Indo-Pacific. “The US military flies, sails, and operates safely and responsibly anywhere international law allows.” The US accused China of a “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” last month when a Chinese J-16 fighter jet passed directly in front of a US Air Force surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. Such events have sparked fears about an accident that may escalate military tensions between the two countries at a time when regional tensions are high. Lloyd Austin and Li Shangfu were in Singapore for an annual defense meeting when the Taiwan Strait incident occurred.
Li said on Sunday that US and allied patrols had caused the threat and were meant to provoke China. “The best way is for countries, especially naval vessels and fighter jets, not to do closing actions around other countries’ territories,” he added via an interpreter. Why go? “Mind your own business,” we say in China. He warned that a US-China conflict would cause “unbearable disaster for the world” and that Beijing prefers diplomacy.
