China Should ‘Behave Responsibly,’ Anand Says After Warship Nearly Hits US Ship During Canada-US Mission in Taiwan Strait

The USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship conduct what it called an "unsafe” manoeuvre in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, 2023. The Chinese ship cut sharply across the path of the American destroyer, forcing the U.S. ship to slow to avoid a collision. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP

Defence Minister Anita Anand says China should act more “responsibly” after a People’s Liberation Navy warship aggressively came within 150 yards of colliding with an American ship during a Canada–U.S. joint sailing mission through the Taiwan Strait.

“The Taiwan Strait is an international strait and we want to make sure that we are doing our best to uphold peace and security in this region, but also to ensure that international rules and norms are recognized,” Anand said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“The sailthrough with the United States is an example of Canada standing up for international rules and norms. China must behave responsibly—and that’s what we’re ensuring is heard.”

The controversial incident occurred on June 3 when the Chinese warship came within 150 yards of hitting American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, which is accompanied on the joint mission by Canadian ship HMCS Montreal, according to Global News.

The Canadian ship’s captain, Paul Mountford, called the Chinese ship’s manoeuvre “not professional” and said the entire incident was “clearly instigated by the Chinese.”

“The fact this was announced over the radio prior to doing it clearly indicated this was intentional,” Mountford told Global News.

The incident occurred about a week after the Canadian and American ships had been sailing together in the South China Sea before entering the Taiwan Strait.

Anand said in her statement that Canada will continue sailing “where international law allows,” including the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

“Our overall goal is to increase the peace and stability of this region. And that’s why we are going to continue to see more of Canada in this region, as set out in our Indo Pacific strategy,” she said.

“Actors in this region must engage responsibly and that’s the bottom line.”

‘Ready for Anything’

Shortly after the near-collision, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the U.S. ship of causing “trouble and provocation in the first place.”

“The Chinese side dealt with it in accordance with the law,” he said. “The initiative taken by the Chinese army was completely reasonable and legal, as well as completely professional and safe.”

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre called the incident “another provocation by communist China.”

“We believe Beijing should restore calm and stability rather than provoking,” he said during a press conference on Parliament Hill on June 5.

“We’re not looking for a fight, but we need to stand up for our values and our interests. We also need to make sure that our military is ready for anything—God forbid.”

The incident comes about a year after a Canadian military plane was dangerously harassed by Chinese fighter jets during a mission in international airspace near Japan in May 2022.

During a month-long deployment between April 26 and May 26, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CP-140 Aurora Maritime Patrol Aircraft had “several interactions” with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force, during which the Chinese pilots did not adhere to international air safety norms, the Department of National Defence (DND) said at the time.

“In some instances, the RCAF aircrew felt sufficiently at risk that they had to quickly modify their own flight path in order to increase separation and avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft,” DND said.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.