A Chinese warship approached an American destroyer in the Taiwan Strait and crossed in front of it in an “unsafe” manner, as described by the US Navy. The Navy has released a video of the.
Last Saturday, the US military reported that while the US destroyer “Chung Hun” and the Canadian frigate “Montreal” were passing through the strait, a Chinese ship suddenly blocked the path of the US destroyer when it was just 137 meters away. The military described the transit as “routine.”
On Sunday, the US Navy released a video showing a Chinese warship crossing in front of a US destroyer causing it to slow down to avoid a collision. The American destroyer maintained its course and did not make any changes.
A warning message was broadcasted over the radio in English to the Chinese ship regarding potential restrictions on freedom of navigation. However, the message’s exact wording was not completely comprehensible due to wind interference.
On Saturday, the Chinese military accused the United States and Canada of intentionally increasing the danger by conducting a scarcely seen combined sail through the Taiwan Strait.
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— OsintTV📺 (@OsintTV) June 4, 2023
❗️🇺🇲🇨🇳⚓Global News: China ship nearly rammed US Navy destroyer in the Taiwan Strait
Chinese warship performed an abrupt turn & passed the American destroyer Chung-Hoon at a mere 130m away. The event led the Chung-Hoon crew to quickly slow down and alter their trajectory pic.twitter.com/D46XFiYl19
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense commented on China’s actions with US and Canadian ships on Sunday, referring to them as “provocative”. They also emphasized the importance of free and democratic countries taking shared responsibility for preserving peace and stability in the strait.
In a statement, she emphasized that escalating tension and danger would not enhance regional security. She urged China to respect the freedom of navigation.
There have been two similar incidents within a few days. On May 26, a Chinese fighter executed a dangerous move near a US military plane in international airspace over the South China Sea. The United States described it as an “aggressive” maneuver.