(NSI News Sourc
e Info) WASHINGTON - March 13, 2009: The United States has decided to provide heavily armed destroyers to escort U.S. surveillance ships operating in the South China Sea after a tense naval standoff this week, a U.S. official said March 12.
"Right now they are going to escort these types of ships for the foreseeable future," the defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
The U.S. government has said Chinese boats moved directly in front of the U.S. Navy surveillance vessel Impeccable on Sunday, forcing the ship to take emergency action to avoid a collision.
A day after the incident, the USS Chung-Hoon destroyer accompanied the Impeccable - an unarmed ship designed to track submarines with sonar - in the same area, the official said.
Since Sunday's high-seas standoff, there have been no incidents of harassment from Chinese boats or aircraft, he said.
"It's been quiet," the official said. "There's a great deal of emphasis right now to keep this at the diplomatic level. So that's been our focus."
The escorts by warships applied to operations in the South China Sea, he said.
Chinese military chiefs believe the U.S. Navy ship was on a spying mission, state media reported March 11.
The U.S. keeps a close eye on China's military arsenal, including its expanding fleet of submarines.
The episode complicated fragile military relations between the world powers, which had improved after the two held defense talks in Beijing last month.
President Barack Obama on March 12 urged more military dialogue with China to avoid similar incidents after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the White House said in a statement.
"The president also stressed the importance of raising the level and frequency of the U.S.-China military-to-military dialogue in order to avoid future incidents," it said.
As part of cooperation efforts, the two countries established a hotline between the Chinese defense ministry and the Pentagon in April last year. But the hotline was not used during or after Sunday's standoff, defense officials said.
The U.S. government immediately protested to Chinese authorities after the incident, which occurred about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Hainan Island.
Beijing has rejected the U.S. account and demanded the United States cease what it calls illegal activities in the South China Sea. The Chinese maintain the area is part of the country's exclusive economic zone.
Washington insists the area is part of international waters and that U.S. ships have a legal right to operate there.
The Chung-Hoon is a guided-missile destroyer based in Hawaii that joined the U.S. Navy fleet in 2004.
e Info) WASHINGTON - March 13, 2009: The United States has decided to provide heavily armed destroyers to escort U.S. surveillance ships operating in the South China Sea after a tense naval standoff this week, a U.S. official said March 12.
"Right now they are going to escort these types of ships for the foreseeable future," the defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
The U.S. government has said Chinese boats moved directly in front of the U.S. Navy surveillance vessel Impeccable on Sunday, forcing the ship to take emergency action to avoid a collision.
A day after the incident, the USS Chung-Hoon destroyer accompanied the Impeccable - an unarmed ship designed to track submarines with sonar - in the same area, the official said.
Since Sunday's high-seas standoff, there have been no incidents of harassment from Chinese boats or aircraft, he said.
"It's been quiet," the official said. "There's a great deal of emphasis right now to keep this at the diplomatic level. So that's been our focus."
The escorts by warships applied to operations in the South China Sea, he said.
Chinese military chiefs believe the U.S. Navy ship was on a spying mission, state media reported March 11.
The U.S. keeps a close eye on China's military arsenal, including its expanding fleet of submarines.
The episode complicated fragile military relations between the world powers, which had improved after the two held defense talks in Beijing last month.
President Barack Obama on March 12 urged more military dialogue with China to avoid similar incidents after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the White House said in a statement.
"The president also stressed the importance of raising the level and frequency of the U.S.-China military-to-military dialogue in order to avoid future incidents," it said.
As part of cooperation efforts, the two countries established a hotline between the Chinese defense ministry and the Pentagon in April last year. But the hotline was not used during or after Sunday's standoff, defense officials said.
The U.S. government immediately protested to Chinese authorities after the incident, which occurred about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Hainan Island.
Beijing has rejected the U.S. account and demanded the United States cease what it calls illegal activities in the South China Sea. The Chinese maintain the area is part of the country's exclusive economic zone.
Washington insists the area is part of international waters and that U.S. ships have a legal right to operate there.
The Chung-Hoon is a guided-missile destroyer based in Hawaii that joined the U.S. Navy fleet in 2004.
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