New video shows moment of near-collision between US and Chinese warships in the South China Sea

Over the weekend, the Hong Kong-based company Morning of South China released the first video footage of a dangerous September 30 meeting in the South China Sea between a US Navy Destroyer and the Destroyer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The footage, delivered to To post by the British Ministry of Defense, shows the approach of the destroyer PLAN, a ship type 052C, the Lanzhou, to the USS Decatur, an American navy Arleigh Burkedestroyer class.

September 30, USS Decatur carried out a freedom of navigation operation at an innocent passage within 12 nautical miles of several Spratly Group entities occupied by China in the South China Sea. The United States conducted this type of operation from October 2015, when the Obama administration cleared the first known FONOP in the South China Sea near the artificial islands of China. the DecaturThe operation took place the day after the United States announced the approval of a possible sale of military aviation components to Taiwan and the general deterioration of bilateral relations.

The operations were designed to assert US navigation rights in accordance with international law. The US Department of Defense has often said that the US Navy would fly and navigate where the international would allow and these operations are carefully calibrated to enforce legal rights. China has reacted with verbal indignation in the past and, otherwise, has generally adopted safe navigation practices aboard US fleeing ships.

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As The diplomatSteven Stashwick discussed the near-collision incident between the Lanzhou and the Decatur was an unusually dangerous moment. The video released this weekend confirms Stashwick's analysis that "Decatur was probably maintaining its course when the Chinese warship approached him to try to force him to leave the cape and prompt him to leave. "

In the video, we clearly see the Chinese ship maneuvering to starboard in front of the American ship. US officials had noted that the USS Decatur was forced to deflect his innocent passage – which would otherwise probably have followed the shortest possible path through the 12 nautical mile zone around Gaven Reef, where the incident occurred – avoiding a collision with the Chinese ship .

the To postThe report also contains new audio and transcription of the incident. What is particularly remarkable is the scenario adopted by the crew of the Lanzhou to issue warnings to the crew of Decatur. Since the operation conducted by USS in October 2015 LassenNavy, Chinese and US crews are known to have professional – and sometimes cordial – chatter. the Lanzhou incident could not be more different.

"Are you sure [sic] dangerous course, "warned Lanzhou, according to a document from the British Ministry of Defense on the incident." If you do not change course, your [sic] This is the most powerful verbal warning issued by a Chinese warship to an American warship in the South Chinat Sea, which has not yet been made public since October 2015, when these operations began. China has issued warnings to aircraft and ships in the past, but never with the direct threat of undescribed – but presumably hostile – "consequences".

By May 2015, the United States had made public China's attempts to control artificial islands in the South China Sea by deterring the overflight of the United States. At the time, the crew of a United States P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft had been warned to leave Fiery Cross Reef, the site of a Chinese artificial island. The Chinese ground crew issued the following warning: "A foreign military plane. This is the Chinese Navy. You are approaching our military alert zone. Leave immediately. "The warning continued:" Please, go away … to avoid any misunderstanding. "