The American warship had to slow down to avoid a collision. In the end, only 137 meters remained between the ships, reports Reuters.
The US guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon was in the Taiwan Strait on a “routine trip” on Saturday, US military officials told Reuters. US ships sailed in the area in what was described as a rare joint exercise with Canadians.
The video shows how the US missile destroyer goes straight ahead and the Chinese ship approaches its left side. In the end, the Chinese ship seems to just manage to get out from under the bow of the missile destroyer, narrowly avoiding a collision.
According to the US Pacific Command, the Chung-Hoon had to slow down to avoid the ships colliding.
“The Chinese broke the maritime rule”
The Chinese ship eventually passed the US ship only 137 meters away. According to the US commander, the Chinese violated the maritime rule of safe passage in international waters.
The Taiwan Strait is a fire-prone area. Last weekend, the Chinese accused the United States and Canada of the risk of provocation. Chinese Defense Minister, Gen Li Shangfu said on Sunday that the US was disturbing the peace in the region.
In China’s opinion, the United States cannot build a NATO-like alliance in the region.
USS Chung-Hoon was completed in 1991. It is an Arleigh Burke class destroyer armed with several different types of missiles, e.g. Tomahawks and also torpedoes.
Source: Reuters