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 "That action by the Chinese, cutting their ship 100 yards out in
front of the (USS) Cowpens, was not a responsible action. It was
unhelpful; it was irresponsible," Hagel told reporters at the
Pentagon.
China on Wednesday acknowledged an encounter in early December
between a Chinese naval vessel and the U.S. warship in the South
China Sea.
China said its ship was conducting "normal patrols" when it
encountered the U.S. missile cruiser, and its official news agency
accused the United States of deliberate provocative behavior. But
U.S. officials depicted the event differently.
They said the U.S. ship was forced to take evasive action to avoid
collision.
Asked about Hagel's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Hua Chunying said: "For the U.S. and Chinese militaries to maintain
a healthy and stable relationship that is beneficial to both countries, both
sides must do their best to meet each other half-way."
The near collision came after Beijing's declaration of an air
defense identification zone further north, in the East China Sea,
ratcheted up tension and drew criticism from Washington, Tokyo and
Seoul.
Experts have called the incident the most serious U.S.-Chinese
maritime encounter in the disputed South China Sea since 2009.
[to top of second column] |
Hagel said that such "incendiary" incidents had the potential to
cause a "miscalculation."
"We need to work toward putting in place some kind of a mechanism in
Asia-Pacific and with China ... to be able to defuse some of these
issues as the occur," he said.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs
of Staff, told reporters there had been no changes to rules of
engagement given to forces in that region in order to prevent
run-ins with China.
"What we do constantly though is we remain alert for changes in the
environment," Dempsey said. "There are times that are more sensitive
than others and we're in a heightened period of sensitivity. And you
can count on our mariners and airmen to be aware of that."
(Reporting by Phil Stewart, David Alexander and Missy Ryan in
Washington; additional reporting by Adam Rose in Beijing; editing by
Cynthia Osterman and Robert Birsel)
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