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Pentagon says Chinese vessels harassed U.S. ship

Obama tested as Chinese vessels harass spy ship

Rowan Callick, Asia-Pacific editor | March 11, 2009

CHINA has tested Barack Obama early in his presidency, with a flotilla of naval vessels surrounding and harassing a US spy ship in the South China Sea.

The incident is likely to be high on the agenda when China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Washington later this week, and will come up when Mr Obama meets his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at G20 talks in London next month.

The scene of the confrontation was not far from where a US spy-plane collided with a Chinese jet fighter eight years ago, soon after George W.Bush became president. The Chinese pilot was killed, the US plane made an emergency landing on China's Hainan island, and China released the 24 crew after Washington issued an apology.

The latest incident comes as China is rapidly upgrading its blue-water naval fleet, whose capacity has recently been extended with the deployment of two destroyers and a supply ship to patrol the pirate-infested waters off Somalia. The US ship involved, the Impeccable, is one of five ocean surveillance vessels with the Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan.

The Pentagon said yesterday that five Chinese vessels on Sunday "shadowed and aggressively manoeuvred in close proximity" to the Impeccable. A spokesman said the Chinese vessels had waved national flags and told the Impeccable to leave the area.

The US ship sprayed its fire hoses at one of the surrounding ships in order to encourage it to keep its distance. The US Defence Department said that in response "the Chinese crew members disrobed to their underwear, and continued closing to within eight metres".

Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV quoted a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington as saying that the US vessel "has been consistently conducting illegal surveying in China's exclusive economic zone".

Washington insists its ship was in international waters. The Impeccable, whose main mission is to monitor submarines, was sailing about 120km south of sub-tropical Hainan island, which is half the size of Tasmania.

Hainan houses the new Yulin submarine base, which could also become a key base for aircraft carriers, with the first expected to sail in five to six years. China has 57 submarines, and the first type 094 second-generation nuclear ballistic missile submarine was shifted to Yulin 15 months ago.

China's security forces are on high alert due to the 50th anniversary yesterday of the flight from Tibet into exile, following a failed uprising, of the Dalai Lama, and the beginning of annual military exercises by US and South Korean troops.

The latest incident occurred only weeks after the countries resumed military talks, which Beijing had suspended after Washington announced arms sales to Taiwan last November.

The countries are in the process of establishing a military hot-line to prevent misunderstandings between their armed forces.

Many rounds of talks have been held since the 2001 Hainan confrontation in order to prevent such incidents derailing the bigger-picture relationship between the countries.

China revealed in its budget last week it would increase military spending by 14.9 per cent.

Li Zhaoxing, spokesman for the National People's Congress, said this was modest growth, merely "enhancing the military's emergency response capabilities in disaster relief, fighting terrorism, maintaining stability and other non-war military operations".

David Lai, a professor of Asian Security Studies at the US Army War College, wrote in the latest edition of China Security that "the People's Liberation Army's move to go global is a natural outgrowth of China's expanding power".

He cited a PLA Daily editorial stressing that "China's national interests are spreading everywhere in the world, into the open seas, outer space, and even into cyberspace.

"China not only has a territorial frontier, but also an 'interest frontier' that has no national boundaries," Professor Lai said.

Obama tested as Chinese vessels harass spy ship | The Australian
 
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | US-China tensions hang over talks

Disputes over an incident at sea and the issue of Tibet are threatening to overshadow talks in Washington between top US and Chinese diplomats.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets counterpart Yang Jiechi later for talks aimed at paving the way for a presidential meeting next month.

But a confrontation at the weekend in the South China Sea has caused both sides to issue complaints.

Beijing has also criticised a US statement on the issue of Tibet.

The two foreign ministers are to have lunch in the US capital, and Mr Yang will also meet Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

Correspondents say Mrs Clinton and Mr Yang will try to tone down the disputes and build on the goodwill from Mrs Clinton's recent visit to Beijing.

'Criminal record'

Ahead of the talks, China heaped criticism on the US after Sunday's maritime incident.

The Pentagon said five Chinese ships harassed an unarmed US navy surveillance vessel in a dangerous manner while it was on routine operations in international waters 75 miles (120km) south of Hainan island.

But China called the US complaint "totally inaccurate" and accused it of breaking international law by operating in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The US ship had behaved "like a spy" and China's action was "totally within our rights", state media quoted senior naval officials as saying.

"What was the ship doing? Anyone with eyes can see and our navy can see even more clearly," the China Daily quoted Vice Admiral Jin Mao, former vice-commander of the navy, as saying.

"It's like a man with a criminal record wandering just outside the gate of a family home. When the host comes out to find out what he is doing there, the man complains that the host had violated his rights." :lol:

The boundaries of China's EEZ remain disputed, while Beijing and Washington differ on which activities are permitted by law within a nation's EEZ. China has a key submarine base on Hainan island.

There are also tensions over Tibet, in the wake of Tuesday's 50th anniversary of the uprising in Lhasa that forced the Dalai Lama into exile.

In a statement, the US State Department said it was "deeply concerned" about the human rights situation in Tibet.

"We urge China to reconsider its policies in Tibet that have created tensions due to their harmful impact on Tibetan religion, culture, and livelihoods."

China said that the US had confused the facts.

The US had "wrongly accused China for no reason with its gross interference in Chinese internal affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.

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Thursday March 12, 12:44 AM

Beijing urges US to respect China's security: state media



BEIJING (AFP) - China's defence ministry Wednesday urged the United States to respect its security following a standoff near its south coast, state media reported, amid warnings from Beijing about future ties. Earlier in the day, China had also expressed anger over US criticism of Beijing's handling of Tibet and warned that such statements from Washington could harm bilateral military relations just as they seemed to be warming. "We urge the United States to respect our legal interests and security concern," ministry spokesman Huang Xueping was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency in relation to Sunday's naval incident. Xinhua's report said China wanted to make sure the US did not again carry out "activities in China's special economic zone in the South China Sea" and that it had lodged "a solemn representation to the United States." The spat between Washington and Beijing, which has seen numerous claims and counter-claims in the past few days, began after the Pentagon said Chinese vessels had harassed a US Navy ship in international waters. The United States protested to Chinese authorities in Beijing and to the defense attache in Washington over the incident, which occurred on Sunday in the South China Sea, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Hainan Island. The Pentagon said Chinese boats moved directly in front of the USNS Impeccable, forcing the ship to take emergency action to avoid a collision, and then dropped pieces of wood into its path. Beijing hit back on Tuesday rejecting that account and demanding the United States cease what it called illegal activities in the South China Sea. On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said that "the US claims are gravely in contravention of the facts," according to Xinhua. The Xinhua report also quoted Huang as saying that the sea area where "the U.S. ship conducted illegal activities" was China's exclusive economic zone, and the United States should abide by laws regarding it. "China conducts normal activities of law enforcement in its own exclusive economic zone to defend its rights and interests, and such activities are justified and lawful," he noted. "We demand that the United States take effective measures to prevent similar acts from happening," Huang said. Chinese military chiefs believe the US Navy ship was on a spying mission, state media reported on Wednesday. The ongoing dispute added a new dimension to fragile military relations between the world powers, which had enjoyed a brief period of slight optimism after the two held defence talks in Beijing last month. It also came as China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was set to meet with his US counterpart Hillary Clinton in Washington later Wednesday. Added to the deterioration in ties is the question of Tibet, where the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule was marked Tuesday with a harsh security clampdown to prevent any protests. "The United States, ignoring the facts, has made unwarranted criticism of China on the issue of Tibet... We express our resolute opposition to, and strong dissatisfaction with this," Ma said Wednesday. "We ask the US side... to acknowledge that Tibet is a part of China and oppose Tibetan independence, avoid harming overall China-US relations, and stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal affairs." Ma was responding to comments by the White House and US State Department that raised concern over Beijing's handling of Tibet. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang is also due to meet US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in Washington on Wednesday, according to a Treasury official
 
Obama seeks to ease US-China row BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Obama seeks to ease US-China row

US President Barack Obama has invited China's top diplomat to the White House in an effort to defuse tensions over a dispute in the South China Sea.

Mr Obama and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will discuss the issue and other economic matters, a US official said.

On Monday, the US said five Chinese ships had harassed an unarmed US navy surveillance vessel in a dangerous manner in international waters.

But Beijing accused the US of operating illegally in its maritime territory.

China called the US complaint "totally inaccurate" and accused it of breaking international law by operating in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

See map showing rival claims in the South China Sea
The boundaries of China's EEZ remain disputed, while Beijing and Washington differ on which activities are permitted by law within a nation's EEZ.

China has a key submarine base on Hainan island, 75 miles north of where Sunday's incident occurred.

Its defence ministry on Thursday reiterated a demand for the US navy to end its surveillance missions off the country's southern coast.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he expected the dispute to be discussed by Mr Obama and Mr Yang, along with the global economic crisis.

"I don't think it will overshadow it, but I think the president will continue to make clear our country's position," he said.

Mr Yang is also expected to meet Mr Obama's national security adviser.

Following a meeting with Mr Yang on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the two nations had agreed to work together to avoid future confrontations.

Mr Yang said he was in Washington to prepare for the G20 summit in April and "to work together to push our relations forward", according to China's official news agency Xinhua - but he made no reported mention of the maritime dispute.

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It is hoped that face-to-face dialogue will help to resolve the dispute
 
if the US is going to claim airspace many times beyond what is recognized under international law and threaten to shoot down any plane violating that airspace, they should expect things like this to happen.

they don't recognize "international boundaries" but expect other nations to when it comes to their ships/planes/etc skimming the internationally recognized borders of nations.
 
Armed conflict between US and China is in neither country’s interest but to the delight of some others (Japan, Russia, India, just to name a few.) In addition, such a conflict could escalate beyond calculation and control; and these are of too high stakes. This has been well aware of by the leaders in both countries.

Communication is the key, as Obama and Yang are perhaps rightly doing it now.
 
if the US is going to claim airspace many times beyond what is recognized under international law and threaten to shoot down any plane violating that airspace, they should expect things like this to happen.

they don't recognize "international boundaries" but expect other nations to when it comes to their ships/planes/etc skimming the internationally recognized borders of nations.

Saiko, your statement is totally false. The US does not claim airspace any differently than any other nation. The US, as a maritime nation, is one of the most vocal proponents of limited boundaries around itself and other nations. It recognizes only the 3-mile and 12-mile limits for navigation for itself and other nations.
 
U.S. Destroyer Escorts Surveillance Ship in South China Sea

By Tony Capaccio

March 13 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. Navy surveillance vessel on a submarine spotting mission has been joined by a U.S. destroyer in the South China Sea, according to a Pentagon official, days after the surveillance ship was allegedly harassed by Chinese boats.

The USNS Impeccable has been joined by the USS Chung-Hoon, a destroyer already on a routine deployment to the area but moved closer after five Chinese vessels, in a possibly coordinated effort, “shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity” to the surveillance vessel on March 8.

The U.S. State Department has lodged a protest with the Chinese government over the incident. China said the surveillance vessel broke international and Chinese laws and demanded an end to similar intelligence gathering missions.

The Impeccable was conducting routine submarine surveillance in international waters when the harassment occurred, the Pentagon official said. The Chung-Hoon wasn’t moved closer to the Impeccable to send a signal to China, the official said.

The U.S. claim that Chinese ships harassed a vessel in international waters is “totally inaccurate and confuses right and wrong,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said March 10, adding the vessel was illegally in China’s exclusive economic zone.

The Impeccable will continue its mission with or without an escort, said the Pentagon official, who declined to say how long the Chung-Hoon would stay nearby.

Military Exchanges

The March 8 incident took place after the U.S. and China agreed to resume military exchanges that China froze in October to protest American arms sales to Taiwan.

The encounter occurred in international waters in the South China Sea, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Hainan Island and was preceded by days of increasingly aggressive conduct by Chinese vessels, the Defense Department said.

The previous acts included a March 4 incident when a Chinese Bureau of Fisheries Patrol vessel used a high-intensity spotlight to illuminate the entire length of the ocean surveillance ship USNS Victorious several times, the U.S. said.

Impeccable and Victorious are part of the Military Sealift Command. Impeccable carries a crew of 25 civilian mariners and 25 military personnel, and Victorious has about 18 crewmembers, according to Navy Web pages on the vessels.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio at the Pentagon at at acapaccio@bloomnberg.net
U.S. Destroyer Escorts Surveillance Ship in South China Sea - Bloomberg.com
 


Class and type: Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement: 9,200 tons
Length: 509 feet 6 inches (155.3 m)
Beam: 66 feet (20 m)
Draft: 31 feet (9.4 m)
Propulsion: 4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp (75 MW)
Speed: 30 kn (56 km/h)
Complement: 380 officers and enlisted
Armament: 1 x 32 cell
1 x 64 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems
96 x RIM-66 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles
1 x 5/62 in (127/62 mm)
2 x 25 mm
4 x 12.7 mm guns
2 x Mk 46 triple torpedo tubes

(From Wiki)
 
Surveillance ship 'did not violate law', says US DoD

A US Military Sealift Command surveillance ship that jostled with five Chinese vessels in the South China Sea on 8 March did not violate international laws, according to the US Department of Defense (US DoD).

A Pentagon official told Jane's on 11 March: "USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23) is a surveillance ship that looks for underwater threats. We feel that we were conducting legal military operations in accordance with international law."

Crewed by civilians, Impeccable is equipped with an active low-frequency towed array with a series of modules, each housing two high-powered transducers. The DoD stated that the ship was carrying out routine bottom mapping when Chinese sailors attempted to snatch the array, then circled around the 5,370-ton ship, forcing it to stop.

The Chinese vessels comprised a naval intelligence-gathering ship, a fisheries patrol vessel, an Oceanographic Administration vessel and two trawlers.

The incident took place approximately 75 miles off Hainan Island, where China has built an underground nuclear submarine base. Jane's revealed the existence of the base, at Sanya, in a report in April 2008.
 

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