THE 'confrontation' between an American aircraft carrier and a Chinese nuclear submarine in the Yellow Sea in October showed both armies needed more contact to avoid 'military misunderstandings', Chinese-run Hong Kong daily newspaper, Wen Wei Po said.
In a report filed from Washington, Wen Wei Po said yesterday the possibility of a military conflict between the US and China in international waters had increased as China was rising as a major power in east Asia and would increase its naval activities in its surrounding seas, including the South China Sea.
From October 27 to 29, the US carrier Kitty Hawk had a close encounter with an unnamed Chinese submarine off the Shandong coast, and aircraft from both sides flew past each other.
The report said while the Kitty Hawk was in international waters, it might be too close to - if not inside - China's 'special economic jurisdiction zone', which covers waters up to 200 nautical miles off its coast.
'According to international norms, commercial vessels from various countries can navigate in a country's special economic jurisdiction zone, but not naval vessels or aircraft unless with the permission of that country,' the article said.
It said American naval vessels had a greater chance of being involved in confrontation with their Chinese counterparts while the US navy was 'showing off its military might' in Asia.
