The US condemns a new aggressive maneuver by China

The US Navy on Saturday accused a Chinese vessel of zigzagging “dangerousaround a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, less than 10 days after an air incident between the two countries in the region. The Chinese building hasperformed dangerous maneuvers near Chung-Hoon“, an American destroyer, which sailed on Saturday in the strait, stated in a press release the American command.

The Chinese shippassed Chung-Hoon on the port side and crossed her bow 150 meters away. Chung-Hoon maintained his course and slowed to 10 (knob) to avoid a collision“, writes the press release. He is then”passed in front of Chung-Hoon’s bow for the second time from starboard to port in 2000 metersand continued to sail alongside the American destroyer, which he approached within 150 meters, the text adds.

This incident occurred when the USS Chung-Hoon, an Aegis destroyer part of the US 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 from mainland China.

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The Chinese military said it was monitoring the passage of the two ships, but did not mention any incidents. “Relevant countries are intentionally creating trouble in the Taiwan Strait, deliberately building up risks and maliciously undermining regional peace and stability“, condemned Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for China’s Eastern Command.

American ships regularly cross the Taiwan Strait, but they rarely do so accompanied by an allied ship. The last joint US-Canadian passage dates back to September. These crossings anger China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and claims sovereign rights over the strait.

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Second incident in ten days

This is the second Chinese-American incident in less than 10 days in the region. On May 26, a Chinese fighter pilot flew “an unjustified aggressive maneuvernear a US reconnaissance aircraft flying over the South China Sea, according to US military personnel. From the perspective of a Chinese military spokesman, the US aircraft “deliberately burst“in a training area in China”to conduct reconnaissance (operations)“.

In response, the US Department of Defense on Sunday condemned the actions “increasingly riskyof the Chinese Army in Asia. “We remain concerned about the People’s Liberation Army’s increasingly risky and coercive activities in the region, including in recent dayssaid Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder, who is attending a security conference in Singapore with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.