US, Chinese warships in near collision

Chinese sailors welcome their US counterparts onboard guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens as the ship docks in the south China port of Zhanjiang September 22, as part of growing Sino-US military exchanges.

Chinese sailors welcome their US counterparts onboard guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens as the ship docks in the south China port of Zhanjiang September 22, as part of growing Sino-US military exchanges.

Published Dec 14, 2013

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Beijing - A US guided missile cruiser and Chinese warship have come close to colliding in the South China Sea, a media report said.

The Chinese ship was attempting to make the USS Cowpens stop in international waters near the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning on December 5, the US military magazine Stars and Stripes reported Friday.

“The US has raised this issue at a high level with the Chinese government,” a State Department spokesperson told the publication.

The USS Cowpens had to take evasive action to avoid a collision, a spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet said.

No shots were fired, a military official who requested not to be named told Stars and Stripes.

US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Beijing at the time of the incident.

China is locked in various territorial disputes in the South China Sea with neighbouring countries and claims most of the sea as its territorial waters. - Sapa-dpa

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