Move to ‘hype up’ PLA action called out

Canadian media accused of causing controversy over military manoeuvre

Global Times has accused the Canadian media of “hyping up” a People’s Liberation Army warship manoeuvre that reportedly “almost caused a crash” in waters near Taiwan.

In a joint Canada-United States mission in the South China Sea, a Chinese warship suddenly cut in front of the American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, Canada’s Global News reported from Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal.

Global News also uploaded a video showing the movement of the Chinese ship, which American forces identified as Luyang-III DDG 132 (LY 132). US forces said the PLA ship came within 137 metres of the USS Chung-Hoon.

Global Times, a nationalist paper affiliated with People’s Daily, criticised the Vancouverbased television network yesterday and called the joint mission “provocative”, adding the PLA manoeuvre was a warning against the exercise by the North American allies.

“Relevant countries are deliberately stirring up trouble and risks in the Taiwan Strait, maliciously undermining regional peace and stability and sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” PLA Eastern Theatre Command Senior Colonel Shi Yi was quoted as saying. As the two warships sailed across the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the theatre command’s forces sent warnings in a “lawful manner”, Shi said.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited and has rejected the US claim that the Taiwan Strait should be considered international waters.

But the US Indo-Pacific Command accused the PLA manoeuvre of being “unsafe” and said the action violated the maritime ‘Rules of the Road’ of safe passage in international waters, according to a statement.

In an interview with Global News, Paul Mountford, the HMCS Montreal’s commander who observed the incident, said the sailing of the two warships so close together was “very scary” and could easily have caused a collision.

Mountford said that as the PLA warship picked up speed and cut in front of the rival vessel, a move he called “not professional”, the Chinese crew told the American ship to move or there would be a collision.

He said the PLA also warned the two ships over the radio system that they were entering Chinese territory.

Mountford said he believed the Taiwan Strait to be international waters.

“I am hoping that is an isolated incident that won’t happen again for us, because we have international law on our side,” he said.

The incident took place as the Shangri-La Dialogue was under way in Singapore. During the international defence summit, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand insisted the transit of the HMCS Montreal and USS Chung-Hoon was “in full accordance with international law”.

“Canada will continue to sail where international law allows, including the strait, the South China Sea,” Anand was quoted by Global News as saying.

During the summit, Anand also announced that Ottawa would “significantly enhance its military presence in the Indo-Pacific”, stepping up from an approach released last year that “articulates Canada’s evolving approach to China”.