CHINA: Foreign Ministry declines to directly comment on a narrowly-avoided crash between Chinese and U.S. warships

Record ID: 872645

  • Title: CHINA: Foreign Ministry declines to directly comment on a narrowly-avoided crash between Chinese and U.S. warships
  • Date: 16th December 2013
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (DECEMBER 16, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING WALKING INTO NEWS BRIEFING JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING SAYING: "China has always respected normal naval and air passage and freedom of navigation which is in line with international law. But please ask the defence ministry for the details of the incident you have mentioned." NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 31st December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: International Relations,Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA9N59TTWV1BCTWPAONAWNZVZR4
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday (December 16) that the country respects freedom of navigation in line with international law but declined to comment on a narrowly-avoided crash between Chinese and U.S. warships.
    A U.S. guided missile cruiser operating in international waters in the South China Sea was forced to take evasive action on December 5 to avoid a collision with a Chinese warship maneuvering nearby, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement on Friday (December 13).
    The incident came at a time of heightened tensions in the region following Beijing's declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone farther north in the East China Sea, a U.S. defense official said.
    The U.S. has raised the latest incident at a "high level" with the Chinese government, a State Department official said, quoted by the U.S. military's Stars and Stripes newspaper.
    When asked about the incident in a regular news briefing on Monday (December 16), Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying referred reporters to the country's defence ministry.

    "China has always respected normal naval and air passage and freedom of navigation which is in line with international law. But please ask the defence ministry for the details of the incident you have mentioned," she said.
    Heightened tensions over China's military assertiveness have raised concerns that a minor incident in disputed maritime waters-- the South China Sea and East China Sea-- could quickly escalate.
    China and several ASEAN nations have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, where the incident took place.
    Both Japan and China lay claim to islands in the East China Sea and have scrambled aircraft in recent months over the disputed seas and conducted naval patrols.
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