US naval chief: American and Chinese navies in talks to cut risk of South China Sea miscalculation
- Admiral John Richardson says ‘continuous dialogue’ is aimed at building understanding
- Talks signal the countries are moving to reduce tensions in the disputed waters
The US and Chinese navies are engaged in “continuous dialogue” to reduce the risk of a military miscalculation in the South China Sea, according to the US naval operations chief.
Addressing the Washington-based Brookings Institution on Monday, Admiral John Richardson said the dialogue was to open communication to avoid a potentially disastrous blunder. The discussions were a positive sign that China and the US were moving forward with a plan to reduce tensions in the disputed waters.
Concerns about the risk of an incident at sea grew in September after a People’s Liberation Army Navy ship nearly collided with an American destroyer, the Decatur, sailing near an islet claimed by Beijing in the Spratly archipelago, known in China as the Nansha Islands.
The Chinese ship came within 41 metres (135 feet) of the US vessel, prompting the Pentagon to accuse the PLA Navy of conducting an aggressively “unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre”.
“Let’s not make it difficult for one another by manoeuvring in front of one another like that,” Richardson said. Such unplanned encounters at sea were “going to happen more frequently as the PLA grows and becomes more operational”, he said.