Arleigh Burke: Chinese warship passes ‘unsafely’ near US destroyer in Taiwan strait : Report

Arleigh Burke

Image source : google images

Arleigh Burke, Since 1949, when the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has claimed Taiwan as its territory. In a recent incident, a Chinese warship approached a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait in what US military officials described as an unsafe manner. China accused the United States of deliberately provoking risks in the region.

Arleigh Burke

During a joint exercise in the Taiwan Strait, conducted by the US and Canadian navies, the Chinese ship abruptly crossed paths with the US guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon, causing the US vessel to slow down and avoid a collision, according to a statement from the US Indo-Pacific Command.

Taiwan, which is self-ruled, disputes China’s claim, asserting that the PRC has never governed the island. US President Joe Biden has stated that the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Following the joint sailing of the US and Canadian navies through the Taiwan Strait, China’s military criticized the United States and Canada for intentionally provoking risks. The US Indo-Pacific Command stated that the Chinese ship’s closest approach was 150 yards, and its actions violated the internationally recognized maritime rules of safe passage.

Video footage released by Canadian website Global News captured the close encounter between the ships. The Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet provided a comment regarding the incident.

This maritime incident adds to the growing list of close encounters between the Chinese and US military. In a separate event on May 26, a Chinese fighter jet executed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver near a US military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace, as reported by the US Indo-Pacific Command.

Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, did not directly address the specifics of the jet incident but highlighted that the US frequently deploys aircraft and vessels for close-in reconnaissance on China, which China perceives as a serious threat to its national security.Arleigh Burke

Arleigh Burke, In an interview aired on CNN, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized the US’s goal of maintaining a stable relationship between China and Taiwan and avoiding a conflict that could have detrimental effects on the global economy.

Arleigh Burke, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, speaking at Asia’s top security summit, expressed that a conflict with the United States would be an unbearable disaster and emphasized China’s preference for dialogue over confrontation.Arleigh Burke