US, Chinese warships nearly collided in South China Sea

US Pacific Fleet has announced that an American guided missile cruiser and a Chinese warship “nearly collided” in the South China Sea about one week ago.

“On December 5th, while lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens and a PLA Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision,” PACFLT said in a statement published by Stars and Stripes on Friday.

“This incident underscores the need to ensure the highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap,” according to the statement.

A US military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Chinese vessel tried to get the Cowpens to stop in international waters, but no shots were fired.

The issue was resolved through ship-to-ship communications via radio between the Cowpens and a Chinese aircraft carrier in the vicinity, another unnamed US military official told Stars and Stripes.

“I don’t know the intent of the guy driving that PLA ship,” one of the officials said.

“I just know that he was moving to impede and harass the Cowpens. I mean, from my perspective, having him stop in the middle of the South China Sea is kind of dumb… [The Chinese saying] ‘Go away, get out of here’ [would make more sense]. But ‘stop’ doesn’t really do anything because all that does is just maintain the status quo.”

The US government issued protests to China in both Washington and Beijing in both diplomatic and military channels, according to a US State Department official.

The relations between the United States and China have been strained after Beijing announced an air defense zone over the East China Sea last month.

The United States has said it will not recognize the defense zone. The US flew two B-52 bombers over disputed islands in the East China Sea to challenge China’s declaration.

On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel criticized China for declaring the zone.

“China’s actions raise regional tensions and increases the risk of miscalculation, confrontation, and accidents. And restraint is critically important on these issues, especially at this time,” Hagel said.