China says all OK with U.S.-China sea incident

Calum MacLeod | USA TODAY

BEIJING — China on Wednesday said an altercation between a U.S. and a Chinese naval vessel on the South China Sea was handled well despite its initial reaction that the United States was harassing its first aircraft carrier.

China's Ministry of Defense said the Chinese ship was conducting "routine patrols'' when it had a near miss incident with the USS Cowpens on Dec. 5. The Pentagon said its guided missile cruiser was forced into evasive action to avoid a collision.

"During the encounter, the Chinese naval vessel properly handled it strictly in accordance with rules of operation," the defense ministry said, adding that some media reports of the incident were untrue.

The two nations' defense departments "carried out effective communication" and have "good opportunities" for developing Sino-U.S. military ties, said the Chinese statement.

On Monday, the Global Times, a state-run newspaper, said the U.S. vessel "posed a threat to China's military security" and had been "tailing after and harassing" the Liaoning aircraft carrier on its maiden voyage into the South China Sea.

The paper said the Cowpens came within 30 miles of the Chinese squadron that was part of the flotilla, inside what it called its "inner defense layer."

Beijing has claimed it owns the nearly 1 million square mile swath of ocean, a claim that neighboring countries have termed outrageous. The United States say the sea is international and open to all ocean traffic.

Beijing recently declared a new air defense zone over parts of the East China Sea encompassing Japanese-controlled islands claimed by China, prompting heavy criticism and defiance from Washington, Tokyo and others.

During visits this week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington would provide more than $70 million in security assistance to Vietnam and the Philippines — countries locked in competing claims with China over territory in the South China Sea.

Surveillance activities by U.S. boats and planes have sparked tension in the past.

In 2001, a U.S. EP-3 surveillance aircraft collided with a Chinese fighter jet, killing its pilot, and leading to a tense stand-off for the EP-3's crew who crash-landed in China. In 2009, Washington said five Chinese ships "aggressively maneuvered" close to an unarmed U.S. navy surveillance vessel in the South China Sea.