Headline Roundup • June 4th, 2023
Chinese and American Warships Nearly Collide in Taiwan Strait
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A Chinese warship reportedly came within 150 yards of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday.
The Details: The U.S. and Canada were conducting joint exercises in the South China Sea when the Chinese ship maneuvered in an “unsafe manner,” cutting off the USS Chung Hoon, according to the U.S. Military. HMCS Montreal Commander Paul Mountford said the Chinese warned the North American ships they were in Chinese waters, despite several other countries recognizing the strait as international waters.
For Context: Taiwan, which is officially recognized by 12 countries, but has unofficial relations with many more (including the U.S. and Canada), has had particularly tense military relations with China lately. The confrontation is the second between China and the U.S. in as many weeks, as a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a U.S. spy plane over the South China Sea on May 26.
Key Quotes: Mountford said China’s maneuver was “not professional,” and “The fact this was announced over the radio prior to doing it, clearly indicated this was intentional.” People’s Liberation Army Senior Colonel Shi Yi said “Relevant countries are deliberately stirring up trouble and risks in the Taiwan Strait, maliciously undermining regional peace and stability and sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces.”
How The Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum covered the events similarly, highlighting Mountford’s eyewitness accounts reported by Global News (Lean Left bias).
Featured Coverage of this Story
Vincent Thian/AP
China’s defense minister on Sunday accused the United States and its allies of trying to destabilize the Indo-Pacific – just hours after warships from the two countries were involved in a near collision.
In a combative speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Li Shangfu accused the US of “provoking bloc confrontation for self-interest” and said Washington and its allies were making up rules to assert dominance over the region.
He also warned that any “severe confrontation” between the US and China would be “an unbearable disaster for...
FILE
A Chinese Navy ship maneuvered in an “unsafe manner” near a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, according to the U.S. military.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said on Saturday that guided-missile destroyer USS Chung Hoon and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting “a routine south to north” transit of the Taiwan Strait “through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply.”
During the transit, the Chinese ship “executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner in the vicinity of Chung-Hoon,” the Indo-Pacific Command said, overtaking the U.S. destroyer on one side, crossing...
Global News / Youtube
A Chinese warship reportedly came within 150 yards of hitting the USS Chung-Hoon on Saturday while the U.S. destroyer was conducting joint exercises with Canada in the Taiwan Strait.
The incident occurred as U.S.-Chinese tensions remain high in the South China Sea.
The Chinese ship sped up and cut in front of USS Chung-Hoon’s bow, warning the U.S. ship that there would be a collision if it didn’t alter course, Canada’s Global News — whose reporters witnessed the near-miss from the HMCS Montreal — reported.
The U.S. told the Chinese ship to stay away from...
