U.S. says Chinese destroyer came dangerously close to U.S. ship
A Chinese destroyer came aggressively close to a U.S. Navy ship in the South China Sea, forcing it to maneuver to prevent a collision, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said Oct. 2, describing an encounter that could worsen tensions between the nations.
The Chinese warship approached the USS Decatur in an “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” on Sept. 30 near Gaven Reefs in the South China Sea, said U.S. Pacific Fleet Spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman.
The Chinese destroyer “conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers accompanied by warnings for Decatur to depart the area,” Gorman said in an emailed statement.
It approached within 45 yards of the Decatur’s bow, forcing it to maneuver, Gorman said.
China claims most of the strategic waterway and has built islands on reefs and equipped them with military facilities such as airstrips, radar domes and missile systems.
The Chinese defense ministry said Oct. 2 it opposes the U.S. warship’s entry into the waters “around China’s islands and reefs.” It confirmed that the Luoyang, a Chinese missile destroyer, was immediately deployed to identify the U.S. warship and drive it away.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it strongly urged the U.S. to stop its “provocative” actions.
Relations between the U.S. and China have deteriorated over an escalating trade dispute. But ties have worsened in recent weeks with a U.S. decision to issue economic sanctions over the purchase of Russian fighter jets and surface-to-air missile equipment.
Beijing said the U.S. had no right to interfere in Chinese military cooperation with Russia. In response to the sanctions, China summoned the American ambassador and defense attache to deliver a protest, and recalled its navy commander from a U.S. trip.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has since dropped plans to visit China in October for talks. AP
Two Koreas begin removing DMZ mines to ease military tensions
North and South Korean troops began removing some of the land mines planted at their heavily fortified border on Oct. 1, Seoul officials said, in the first implementation of recent agreements aimed at easing their decades-long military standoff.
The demining comes amid resumed diplomacy over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program after weeks of stalemated negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to visit Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, this month to try to set up a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
On Oct. 1, South Korean army engineers with demining equipment were deployed to the border village of Panmunjom and another frontline area called “Arrow Head Hill” where the Koreas plan their first joint searches for soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
The troops began removing mines on the southern part of the two sites. Later Oct. 1, the South Korean military detected North Korean soldiers engaged in what it believed was demining on the northern part of the sites, a South Korean defense official said on condition of animosity, citing department rules.
The official refused to provide more details. North Korea’s state media didn’t immediately confirm its reported demining. AP