China’s behavior in a narrowly averted naval collision in the South China Sea was both “unhelpful” and “irresponsible,” US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said on Thursday, warning against incidents that could escalate US-Chinese tension.
“That action by the Chinese, cutting their ship 100 yards out in front of the [USS] Cowpens, was not a responsible action. It was unhelpful; it was irresponsible,” Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon.
Hagel said the maritime confrontation, the first reported for several years, pointed to the need for clear protocols between the two militaries to avoid a potential clash in the Pacific.
“That’s the kind of thing that’s very incendiary, that could be a trigger or a spark that could set off some eventual miscalculation,” he said.
The two sides needed to work “to have a mechanism to be able to defuse some of these issues as they occur,” Hagel said. “We’re working on it.”
His comments were the first public reaction by a top official at the Pentagon since the incident two weeks ago.
China on Wednesday acknowledged an encounter earlier this month between a Chinese naval vessel and the US warship in the South China Sea.
China said its ship was conducting “normal patrols” when it encountered the US missile cruiser and its official news agency accused the US of deliberate provocative behavior.
However, US officials said the US ship was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
Asked about Hagel’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said: “For the US and Chinese militaries to maintain a healthy and stable relationship that is beneficial to both countries, both sides must do their best to meet each other half-way.”
The near-collision came after Beijing’s declaration of an air defense identification zone further north, in the East China Sea, ratcheted up tension and drew criticism from Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there had been no changes to rules of engagement given to forces in that region in order to prevent run-ins with China.
“What we do constantly though is we remain alert for changes in the environment,” Dempsey said. “There are times that are more sensitive than others and we’re in a heightened period of sensitivity. And you can count on our mariners and airmen to be aware of that.”
China has played down the incident, saying its naval forces followed proper procedures
“During the encounter, the Chinese naval vessel strictly followed protocol and handled [the incident] appropriately,” a statement from the Chinese Defense Ministry said.
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS