US Defence Secretary says China was ‘irresponsible’ in stand-off at sea
Chuck Hagel says a near collision between a Chinese Navy vessel and a US guided missile cruiser was 'unhelpful' as he proposes mechanism to defuse such incendiary incidents
China acted in an “irresponsible” way in a stand-off with a US naval ship this month in the South China Sea, American Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday.
US officials have said that the USS Cowpens, a guided missile cruiser, had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with a Chinese vessel that was dangerously close in the December 5 incident.
“That action by the Chinese, cutting in front ... 100 yards out in front of the Cowpens, was not a responsible action,” Hagel told a news conference.
“It was unhelpful, it was irresponsible,” he said.
Hagel said the maritime confrontation, the first reported for several years, pointed to the need for clear protocols between the two militaries to avoid a potential clash in the Pacific.
“That’s the kind of thing that’s very incendiary, that could be a trigger or a spark that could set off some eventual miscalculation,” he said.
