China confirmed incident between a Chinese naval vessel and a U.S. warship in the South China Sea

BEIJING
(Reuters) –
China on
Wednesday
confirmed an
incident
between a
Chinese naval
vessel and a
U.S. warship in
the South
China Sea,
after
Washington said a U.S. guided missile cruiser had
avoided a collision with a Chinese warship
maneuvering nearby.
Experts have said the near-miss between the USS
Cowpens and a Chinese warship operating near
China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was the
most significant U.S.-China maritime incident in
the disputed South China Sea since 2009.
China's Defense Ministry said the Chinese naval
vessel was conducting "normal patrols" when the
two vessels "met".
"During the encounter, the Chinese naval vessel
properly handled it in accordance with strict
protocol," the ministry said on its website
(www.mod.gov.cn).
"The two Defense departments were kept informed
of the relevant situation through normal working
channels and carried out effective communication."
But China's official news agency Xinhua, in an
English language commentary, accused the U.S.
ship of deliberately provocative behavior.
"On December 5, U.S. missile cruiser Cowpens,
despite warnings from China's aircraft carrier task
group, broke into the Chinese navy's drilling waters
in the South China Sea, and almost collided with a
Chinese warship nearby," it said.
"Even before the navy training, Chinese maritime
authorities have posted a navigation notice on their
website, and the U.S. warship, which should have
had knowledge of what the Chinese were doing
there, intentionally carried on with its surveillance
of China's Liaoning aircraft carrier and triggered
the confrontation."
Washington said last week its ship was forced to
take evasive action to avoid a collision.
The incident came at a time of heightened tension
in the region following Beijing's declaration of an
air Defense identification zone further north in the
East China Sea, which prompted protests from
Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday said
maritime disputes between countries should be
resolved peacefully through arbitration though the
United States would speak out when a country,
such as China, took unilateral action that raised the
potential for conflict.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua
Chunying said Kerry and Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, who has been equally critical of the air
Defense zone, should stop harping on the issue.
"The show the relevant parties have put on is
enough. They should give it a rest. If they really
care about this region's peace, they should … stop
fomenting trouble," she told a daily news briefing.
China's Defense Ministry said, however, there were
"good opportunities" for developing Sino-U.S.
military ties.
"Both sides are willing to strengthen
communication, maintain close coordination and
make efforts to maintain regional peace and
stability," the ministry said.
The Liaoning aircraft carrier, which has yet to be
fully armed and is being used as a training vessel,
was flanked by escort ships, including two
destroyers and two frigates, during its first
deployment into the South China Sea.
Friction over the South China Sea has surged as
China uses its growing naval might to assert a vast
claim over the oil-and-gas-rich area, raising fears of
a clash between it and other countries in the
region, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
The United States had raised the incident at a
"high level" with China, according to a State
Department official quoted by the U.S. military's
Stars and Stripes newspaper.
Beijing routinely objects to U.S. military
surveillance operations within its exclusive
economic zone, while Washington insists the
United States and other nations have the right to
conduct routine operations in international waters.
China deployed the Liaoning to the South China
Sea just days after announcing its air Defense
zone, which covers air space over a group of tiny
uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are
administered by Japan but claimed by Beijing as
well.
(Additional reporting by Hui Li and Ben Blanchard;
Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Sent From David Aniemeka