A Chinese warship and a US guided missile cruiser closely escaped a collision in the international water in South China Sea last week, according to a statement by the US Pacific Fleet on Friday.
The USS Cowpens was operating in the vicinity where China’s only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning was maneuvering.
The incident occurred at a time when there is already a tense international atmosphere following China’s declaration of an Air Defence Identification Zone in East China Sea’s far north.
Another Chinese warship maneuvered near the Cowpens in an incident on Dec 5, and the Cowpens was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision, the Pacific Fleet said in its statement.