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The
USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided while the
guided-missile vessel was nearing Singapore on Monday. The
collision tore a hole in the warship's port side at the
waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping
area. Ten sailors are missing.
The collision - the fourth major accident in the U.S. Pacific
fleet this year - prompted a fleet-wide investigation and plans
for temporary halts in operations to focus on safety.
The state-run China Daily said in an editorial on Tuesday that
people will wonder why such a sophisticated navy keeps having
these problems.
"The investigations into the latest collision will take time to
reach their conclusions, but there is no denying the fact that
the increased activities by U.S. warships in Asia-Pacific since
Washington initiated its rebalancing to the region are making
them a growing risk to commercial shipping," it said.
China has been upset at U.S. freedom of navigation operations
near Chinese controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea,
where China has been reclaiming land, building air bases and
increasing its military presence.
"While the U.S. Navy is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian
waters, China has been making joint efforts with the members of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to draw up a Code of
Conduct for the South China Sea and it has boosted navigational
safety by constructing five lighthouses on its islands," the
China Daily said.
"Anyone should be able to tell who is to blame for militarizing
the waters and posing a threat to navigation."
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)
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