It has been described as the most serious Sino-U.S. confrontation in the South China Sea since 2009. However, China said the incident was handled with "strict protocol."
The U.S. has said its ship was operating in international waters. However, China claims parts of the South China Sea, and a state-run newspaper quoted an expert as saying that the U.S. boat had been "harassing" China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, as it carried out drills.
The incident came to light last week after U.S. officials spoke about it. "While lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens and a PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision," a U.S. Pacific fleet statement said.
Eventually, the two crews were able to communicate and "both vessels maneuvered to ensure safe passage," an unnamed defense official was quoted by Reuters as saying. The U.S. had raised the incident at a "high level" with China, an unnamed State Department official quoted by U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes said.
In a statement on Wednesday, China's defense ministry said the two ships met during a "routine patrol" by one of China's naval vessels. "The Chinese naval vessel strictly followed protocol and handled the incident," it said. "The two defense departments used normal working channels to stay informed about the situation and communicated effectively."
The statement added, without elaborating, that some media reports about the event were untrue.
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