China Briefing | Growing US presence in South China Sea threatens accident that sparks war

Seventeen years after a collision between a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet, a near miss between two warships reminds us how easily a miscalculation could cause conflict. And the chances are growing only greater

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A US Navy EP-3E Aries II plane similar to this was involved in a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter aircraft on April 1, 2001. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:02pm, 7 Oct 2018Updated: 9:05pm, 7 Oct 2018

On April 1, 2001, a United States spy plane on a regular reconnaissance mission over the South China Sea collided with a Chinese fighter jet, killing its pilot and leaving 24 American crew members, along with their plane, stranded on the island of Hainan for nearly two weeks of tension. Although Beijing and Washington managed to defuse the crisis very quickly, the incident encapsulated the volatile and fragile nature of military manoeuvring between the two great powers.

Last week – 17 years later – there was almost a feeling of déjà vu when news broke out that two American and Chinese warships had come dangerously close to colliding in the South China Sea.

Again, both sides accused each other of nearly triggering an international crisis. The US side blamed the Chinese destroyer for using “an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” when it tried to intercept the American warship, which was sailing close to the reef claimed by China.

The Chinese defence ministry spokesman slammed the US for sending warships into waters near China’s islands and reefs in the South China Sea, “gravely threatening China’s sovereignty and security, severely damaging relations between the two militaries and significantly undermining regional peace and stability”.

The intense face-off and the near miss, which came on top of a raging American trade war against China and other bilateral tensions, have heightened concerns that worsening ties, particularly between the militaries, could lead to not only a cold war but possibly a hot one as well.

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