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Details were revealed showing the extent of the tremor in the South China Sea after a US Navy ship went near a Chinese destroyer.
September 30, USS Decatur sailed up to 45 meters from the Luyang II class Chinese destroyer, near the Gaven Reefs, near the Spratly Islands.
After the incident, a spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet said the Chinese ship had approached Decatur "In an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver", followed by a series of "increasingly aggressive maneuvers".
The details of the aggressiveness of the maneuvers have now appeared in a military transcription obtained by the Morning of South China from the UK Ministry of Defense.
The document indicated that, as the American vessel approached, her crew had been informed: "You are on [sic] dangerous course. If you do not change course, your [sic] will suffer consequences. "
The American ship replied: "We are making the innocent passage", the To post reported.
The video of the incident shows a marine sailor saying that the Chinese ship "was trying to get us out of the way". The ship wings deployed on the deck suggested preparing for a collision.
US Pacific Fleet officials announced that they were conducting a "freedom of navigation" patrol near the controversial Spratly Islands, while Beijing insisted that Decatur had been provocative when entering Chinese waters.
Ankit Panda, Editor-in-Chief at The diplomat, told Business Insider that it was "China's most direct and dangerous attempt to hinder the legal navigation of the US Navy in the South China Sea".
The United States and China have recently stepped up their speeches on navigation rights in the South China Sea as tension mounted over the trade dispute between the two countries.
The US Navy has had 18 dangerous or unprofessional clashes with Chinese military forces in the Pacific since 2016, CNN reported, citing military statistics.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it was opposing the entry of the US warship into the waters and that the Luoyang was trying to drive Decatur a way. According to Fox News, the United States must put an end to its "provocative" actions.
Bill Hayton, associate member of the Chatham House think tank in London, said China's actions could have been aimed at "reinforcing the level of antagonism".
"To my knowledge, this is the first time we have been fighting an American warship with this type of language. I think this is the first time we have the idea of "suffering the consequences". This seems to be an increased level of intimidation, "said the president. To post Hayton reports as saying.
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