Taiwan Strait, Jun 03
According to the Canadian publication Global News, a collision between an American destroyer and a Chinese ship was threatened during a joint drill between the US and Canadian navy, when press reporters were present onboard Hmcs Montreal.
The Chinese ship would have crossed the route of the American ship, USS Chong-Hoon, a few meters from the bow, prompting the latter’s crew to perform a fast turn to avoid collision.
The Beijing ship would have abruptly changed direction, requiring the American ship to do the same.
When the communication arrived, the destroyer Washington ordered the Chinese crew to adjust their intentions to prevent a collision, but the only option to avoid a collision at the time was for the USS Chon-Hoon to slow down and make an abrupt turn.
Captain Paul Mountford, the Canadian commander, revealed to the media that the catastrophe was “clearly caused by the Chinese”: a provocation demonstrated by the fact that the crew had instructed the American ship to shift course from point to point.
“Unprofessional” action, Mountford added, as the Chinese unit cut off the American gunner’s flow around 150 meters from the bow.
The news, which confirms ongoing tension in the Taiwan Strait, comes at a particularly delicate time for relations between China and the United States. Hours before the imminent clash in the waters near the island, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore saying “a conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating”.
Chinese warship nearly hits American destroyer in Taiwan Strait during joint Canada-US mission
— Vattaj.com (@vattaj) June 3, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/0APTOWDb3Q#TaiwanStrait #China #USA #vattaj #GlobalNews pic.twitter.com/7LsR8zQssP
Washington’s defense summit also recalled how not only his country, but also others from various parts of the world, are “determined” to maintain control and peace in the region, reiterating however that he was “deeply concerned “from the fact that the Chinese government was unwilling to talk about dialogue mechanisms to manage crises in the Indo-Pacific.
In this regard, the incident involving the USS Chong-Hoon reflects an obvious signal delivered by the Chinese Navy, which watches the movements of the American and Canadian ships participating in the drill.
The United States Seventh Fleet had announced in the last hours the crossing of the strait by USS Chong-Hoon and HMCS Montreal as a “routine transit” in waters where “the freedoms of navigation and flight over the high seas, in accordance with international law” will be exercised.
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