(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) – A Chinese warship has forced an American destroyer to change course in the South China Sea by sailing close to it in an “Unsafe and unprofessional” manner, the United States (US) Navy says.
The USS Decatur was sailing past the Gaven and Johnson reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands, which China claims.
The Luyang destroyer “Approached within 45-yards of Decatur’s bow,” Commander Nat Christensen said.
The US routinely angers Beijing with “Freedom of navigation” missions.
The sea, home to vital shipping lanes, has in recent years become a flashpoint for tensions between China and several regional nations which have overlapping claims over islands and reefs.
Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all make claims to parts of the sea.
