A Chinese warship nearly collided with a US destroyer during a joint Canadian-US patrol through the Taiwan Strait.
Global News was on board the HMCS Montreal, the Canadian frigate participating in the mission, on May 25 in the South China Sea and witnessed the incident.
Accordingly, a Chinese naval vessel accelerated and cut across the bow of the destroyer USS Chung-Hoon as it and the Montreal passed through the Taiwan Strait on June 3. The commander of the Montreal, Captain Paul Mountford, described this as an "unprofessional" action.
Chinese warship nearly collided with US destroyer in Taiwan Strait on June 3. Video: Global News
When the Chinese ship changed course, Mountford said the crew contacted the American ship and told them to move or they would collide. The Americans responded by telling the Chinese to stay away from the ship, but Chung-Hoon eventually changed course and slowed down to avoid a collision.
The Chung-Hoon and Montreal operated together for nearly a week in the South China Sea before passing through the Taiwan Strait. Global News said it witnessed Chinese warships shadowing the Canadian ship several times during the transit.
According to Mountford, China warned both the Canadian and US ships via radio that they were entering its territorial waters, even though the joint patrol mission took place in internationally recognized waters.
"I hope it is a similar incident that will not happen again to us, because we have international law on our side," he said. "These are international waters."
In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada said the Chinese navy and air force tracked and monitored both ships “in a legal and professional manner.”
"Relevant countries have deliberately stirred up troubles and risks in the Taiwan Strait, maliciously undermining regional peace and stability," wrote Jianwei Li, deputy director of the Chinese Embassy's press and culture department.
China will take all necessary measures to "resolutely respond to any threats and provocations," he said.
The last time the US and Canada coordinated the deployment of warships through the Taiwan Strait was in September 2022, a month after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
The voyage comes as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delivers a speech at the 2023 Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore from June 2-4. Austin said that the US network of friendly nations in Asia will “resist coercion, particularly in the Taiwan Strait.” He affirmed that the US is committed to maintaining the status quo in Taiwan and opposes unilateral changes from either side.
For more than half a year, China has held many large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, an island that Beijing considers an inseparable part of its territory and reunification is only a matter of time, even by military means.
Vu Hoang (According to Global News )
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