Chinese boats 'buzz' US navy vessel
Five Chinese boats 'buzz' US navy vessel in South China Sea, Pentagon says
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Monday, 09, Mar 2009 07:07
The United States is to lodge an official complaint with the Chinese authorities after one of its navy vessels was intimidated by boats in the South China Sea.
The Pentagon has released details of the latest in a line of "increasingly aggressive" acts by Chinese ships.
According to the department of defence the USNS Impeccable - an ocean surveillance ship - was forced to spray crewmen with water from fire hoses when five Chinese boats came within 50ft on Saturday, 75 miles south of Hainan.
"On March 8th 2009, five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively manoeuvred in dangerously close proximity to USNS Impeccable, in an apparent coordinated effort to harass the US ocean surveillance ship while it was conducting routine operations in international waters," the Pentagon said.
"The Chinese vessels surrounded USNS Impeccable, two of them closing to within 50ft, waving Chinese flags and telling Impeccable to leave the area.
"Because the vessels' intentions were not known, Impeccable sprayed its fire hoses at one of the vessels in order to protect itself. The Chinese crew members disrobed to their underwear and continued closing to within 25ft."
A spokesman added that two Chinese ships then proceeded to overtake the Impeccable and drop wood in front of its path, forcing the vessel into an emergency stop.
Beijing repeatedly clashes with other navies in the South China Sea, which it considers exclusively its territorial waters.