A Chinese warship came close to colliding, just over 100 meters from the US destroyer Chung-Hoon, engaged in a joint Canada-US freedom of navigation activity across the Taiwan Strait.
This was reported by Global News, based on the testimony of one of its reporters traveling on HMCS Montreal, the Canadian frigate that participated in the mission, since May 25 in the South China Sea.
According to the reconstruction, the Chinese unit set course to cut off the bow of the US destroyer whose crew advised by radio to change course to avoid the collision.
Montreal's commander, Captain Paul Mountford, called the move unprofessional and the incident "clearly instigated by the Chinese. The fact that this was announced on the radio before we did it clearly indicated that it was intentional."
The ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, again according to the reconstruction, ordered the American one to change course and move away to avoid the collision.
Mountford said he also urged the destroyer to act promptly to avoid the accident. The Americans, on the other hand, responded by asking the Chinese side to stay away, but in the end the Chung-Hoon had to change course and slow down to avoid a crash that was considered inevitable without the appropriate corrections.
(Unioneonline/lf)
