Chinese destroyer extremely close to US warship: US

[mfcorey1]

A Chinese warship sailed within yards of an American destroyer -- forcing it to change course -- in an "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter as the US vessel was in contested waters in the South China Sea, an official said Monday.

The USS Decatur guided-missile destroyer was conducting what the military calls a "freedom of navigation operation" Sunday, when it passed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the remote Spratly Islands.

The 12-mile distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it.

Beijing claims all of the Spratlys and has built a number of military installations on the islands.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/chinese-destroyer-extremely-close-to-us-warship-us/ar-BBNObbp?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

[mn9driver]

1. The Soviets actually rammed US navy ships in the Black Sea in the 1980's

There is video of it and it clearly wasn’t an accident. It didn’t escalate back then, but we didn’t have a crazy person in the White House, either.

[Submariner]

2. Time for a new game of chicken-of-the-sea

First it was with the USSR, bows it’s with Trumps perceived pal Xi.

Time to go to DEFCON4. Stay tuned for the pending ship collisions.

[john657]

3. I just love how people are blaming the Trump admin

when in fact, this freedom of navigation started, rightly so, under the Obama Admin.

China is attempting to claim the South China Sea as it's sovereign territory and control access to one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, the US Navy is showing China that it will enforce freedom of navigation in international waters.

The Chinese are attempting to intimidate the US with it's ever increasing aggressive moves.

The blame for this is not on the Trump admn, this lies squarely on the shoulders of China.

[GeorgeGist]

4. Obama changed the 12 mile rule?

[john657]

7. No, as far as I know, the Navy has stayed within the 12 mile limit. n/t

[LanternWaste]

5. FONOP was codified by UN in 1982

Obama merely applied that operational procedure consistently by refusal to recognize as legal, the base construction/dredging program by the Chinese in the Spratly archipelago... regardless of what you may or may not love.

[john657]

6. ???

regardless of what you may or may not love.

Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?

You got something to say, then say it.