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Admiral John Richardson, Chief of US Naval Operations, is waiting for Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on December 18, 2017. REUTERS / Franck Robichon / Pool
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Admiral John Richardson, chief of US naval operations, said Tuesday that the United States and China "will meet more and more on the high seas" after a warship Chinese approached an American ship in the South China Sea. .
The Chinese ship approached within 45 meters of the USS Decatur during a sail on "freedom of navigation" in late September, said this month the US Vice President, Mike Pence.
The US mission was the last attempt to counter what Washington saw as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in strategic waters, where the Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian navies operate.
China's relations with the Russian navy should be watched "with interest" as it develops, said Richardson, speaking at an event co-hosted by the US Embassy in Jakarta.
China claims the essence of the energy-rich South China Sea, which carries about $ 3 trillion worth of trade per ship. The neighbors of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
Reportage of Fanny Potkin; Edited by Nick Macfie
