The United States has lodged a complaint against a Chinese navy ship, accusing it of engaging in “unsafe” maneuvers near an American destroyer during its transit through the Taiwan Strait. This incident marks the second recent close encounter between the American and Chinese militaries in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, the Chinese ship conducted maneuvers in an unsafe manner near the American destroyer named Chung-Hoon during Saturday’s transit. The Chinese vessel reportedly overtook the Chung-Hoon on its port side, crossing its bow at a distance of 150 yards (137 meters). This forced the American destroyer to reduce speed to avoid a potential collision. The Chinese ship then crossed the Chung-Hoon’s bow a second time from starboard to port at a distance of 2,000 yards (1,828 meters) and remained off the American ship’s port bow, coming as close as 150 yards at the nearest point.
The incident occurred as the Chung-Hoon sailed through the Taiwan Strait in a joint mission with a Canadian warship. The narrow waterway separates Taiwan, a self-ruled island, from China. Taiwan’s defense ministry stated that the two ships sailed in a northerly direction through the strait and observed nothing unusual during the transit.
The Chinese military acknowledged monitoring the passage but made no mention of the close encounter. However, it accused “countries concerned” of deliberately creating incidents in the Taiwan Strait region, provoking risks, undermining regional peace and stability, and sending the wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” forces.
The US frequently conducts transits of warships through the Taiwan Strait, with the last joint passage involving a US-Canada mission occurring in September 2022. China claims Taiwan as its territory and has escalated military and political pressure on the island in recent years, vowing to take it back, even by force if necessary.
This encounter in the Taiwan Strait follows another incident on May 26, when a Chinese jet reportedly flew directly in front of and within 400 feet of the nose of a US RC-135 surveillance plane over the South China Sea. China attributed the incident to US provocation and criticized the frequent surveillance activities conducted by US ships and planes, which it claimed harm China’s national sovereignty and security.
Tensions between the United States and China persist in the region, with these close encounters serving as reminders of the ongoing military and political contestation between the two powers.
