China warship sails near US destroyer

BEIJING: A Chinese warship sailed very closed to a US destroyer in the South China Sea on Sunday, forcing it first to change course and then “expelling” it from the disputed maritime waters.

The USS Decauter was sailing close to Nansha islands (Spratly in English) when the Chinese destroyer, Luyang, caught up with it and sent warning messages to the American warship to leave. China is locked in disputes with several countries in the South China Sea over the ownership of islands and reefs in the region.

Several countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all claim parts of the South China Sea, said to be rich in natural resources and a vital international shipping lane. Beijing, however, claims most of the region, having unilaterally demarcated its ownership with the “nine-dash line”.

Chinese and US naval ships have had frequent run-ins in the South China Sea, with Beijing accusing Washington of provocation. Washington cites the “freedom of navigation” principle in the region.

Sunday’s run-in came amid a trade war between the two countries, the world’s two largest economies. On the latest confrontation, the US Navy said the Chinese warship sailing so close to its destroyer was “unsafe and unprofessional”. The Luyang destroyer “approached within 45 yards (41 metres) of Decatur’s bow”, a US Navy spokesperson, Commander Nat Christensen, was quoted as saying by BBC.

Chine, on the other hand, accused the US of deliberately violating its sovereignty. “On September 30, without permission of the Chinese government, the US destroyer Decatur entered neighbouring waters of islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Islands,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.