In a public relations ploy, the US navy has posted eight videos on Youtube covering recent tense encounters in the South China Sea between one of its oceanographic survey ships and five Chinese fishing vessels.
The incidents involved the sea survey ship USNS Impeccable and occurred in early March, south of a Chinese navy base that is home to some of its most modern vessels, including ballistic nuclear missile submarines.
 In a statement released on 8 March, the US navy said, 'Impeccable was conducting routine survey operations in international waters 75 miles south of Hainan Island when it was harassed by five Chinese vessels.'
By longstanding international convention, a nation's territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from its shores. But economic zones extending as far out as 300 nautical miles are also internationally recognised, so both sides have points to argue in the ongoing dispute.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry hit back on 13 March with a statement on its website that said, 'The story of the US side is totally untrue and unacceptable.'
'The US Navy surveillance vessel, the Impeccable, in disregard of relevant international laws and Chinese laws and regulations, engaged in activities in China's exclusive economic zones without our permission,' China blustered.
The videos released by the US navy show Chinese fishing trawlers passing close astern of the Impeccable, apparently in attempts to snag or cut the cable to its towed sonar array.
The US underwater surveillance ship is unarmed. A few days after the incidents, a US navy destroyer joined the Impeccable. X
Check Out
US navy on Youtube
Check out the World news on our sister site The News
|