China accuses US of provocation after defending buzzing American warship in Taiwan Strait

Tensions between China and the United States continue to escalate with the latest incident occurring in the Taiwan Strait. On Tuesday, a Chinese warship came within yards of a U.S. destroyer, the USS Barry, prompting a rebuke from Washington.

The incident occurred as the ship was conducting a routine mission in international waters. The Chinese warship reportedly came within 45 yards of the USS Barry, prompting the American ship to sound its whistle and issue a radio warning.

China has defended the move, accusing the U.S. of provoking Beijing to respond. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the USS Barry “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security interests” by sailing through the Strait.

The incident follows a joint mission conducted by the U.S. and Canadian navies via the Taiwan Strait last month, which was described as a rare joint mission. Both China and Taiwan claim the Taiwan Strait as their own, although Taiwan is not officially recognized as a separate sovereign state by China.

Video footage released by the U.S. Navy shows the Chinese warship coming dangerously close to the USS Barry. The incident is expected to further strain the already-tense relations between the two countries.