The United States and Chinaâ„¢s opposing views on what military ships can do in international waters are bound to cause potential confrontations between the two rivalsâ„¢ navies, defense analysts warn.
The United States insists that military ships have a right to surveillance and other operations in international waters, if they are within 200 nautical miles of another nation, but China disagrees, according to Stars and Stripes.
The Å“near collision” of a US guided missile cruiser, the USS Cowpens, and a Chinese warship in the South China Sea is an example of that differing viewpoint, the report said.
The US Navy says Cowpens, which had just finished a typhoon assistance mission in the Philippines, was in international waters on December 5 when it Å“had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision.”
China, on the other hand, insists that the US warship was in Chinaâ„¢s waters and had come within 30 miles of its Å“inner defense layer.”
Å“I think we can safely predict more of these incidents in the future,” said Ian Storey, senior fellow with the Singapore-based Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Paul Haenle, a retired Army foreign area officer and director of the Carnegie“Tsinghua Center in Beijing said the incident underlined the root-cause of the problem.
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Å“Military-to-military relations remain the weakest link in the overall US-China bilateral relationship because of a lack of regular communication between our militaries and deep-rooted mistrust,” he said.
At a Pentagon news conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Chuck Hagel said the Chinese Navy acted in an Å“irresponsible” manner in the Dec. 5 standoff.
Å“That action by the Chinese, cutting in front …100 yards out in front of the Cowpens, was not a responsible action,” Hagel said. Å“It was unhelpful, it was irresponsible.”
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Source: Press TV