Photos show how nearly a Chinese warship collided with an American destroyer

Taken by a US Navy aircraft but not published by the US Navy, the four photos were verified for CNN by three US officials. They were published on gcaptain's blog, which describes itself as an "interactive community of professionals of the sea".

The pictures show the Lanzhou approaching the Decatur from the back and left of the American ship.

In this situation, under international naval law, the American destroyer would have priority and would be required to maintain its course and speed, said Schuster. It would be up to the Chinese ship to keep a good distance from the American ship and maneuver it.

But the Chinese ship turned to the right as it approached the Decatur, attempting to cut off the bow of the American ship and forcing the US captain to perform a "radical maneuver", consisting essentially of launching the 500-foot warship. long and 8,500 tons upside down, he says.

"It's like we're braking suddenly and turning right to avoid a road accident," said Schuster, now a professor at Hawaii Pacific University.

"The Chinese ship has certainly violated the rules of the road," said Schuster.

A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that his warship was only defending Chinese sovereignty in the Spratlys, where Beijing built fortifications on artificial islands that were once small reefs.

"The Chinese army will resolutely fulfill its defense tasks and will continue to take all necessary measures to preserve our sovereignty as well as peace and stability in the region," spokesman Wu Qian said. .

To accentuate the tensions

Sunday's near-collision comes after weeks of friction between Washington and Beijing on various issues.

Mattis originally planned to visit the Chinese capital to meet with senior Chinese officials to discuss security issues. The last minute cancellation of the unannounced trip has not been confirmed publicly by the Pentagon.

Last Friday, the US Navy released a series of photos showing troops aboard the 40,000-ton Wasp taking part in a live fire exercise in the South China Sea, firing on inflatable targets with machine guns and shooter guns. elite mounted.

But it is the operations of "freedom of navigation" such as the USS Decatur carried out Sunday that seem to arouse the most tension.

The Pentagon says that they are supposed to enforce the right of free passage in international waters. Normally, a country would have to inform another nation when warships passed an innocent passage within 12 miles of its territory.

But as the United States does not recognize China's sovereignty over the islands on which it has built reefs, American ships do not seek permission to cross those 12 miles.