Obama Administration Protests South China Sea Incident With China (Updated Again)

A little incident has occurred in the South China Sea between the US Navy and the PLA Navy. I bet the AP writer had fun writing this article, because we have a protest by the Obama administration and Chinese sailors in underwear.

The Pentagon says Chinese ships shadowed and maneuvered dangerously close to a U.S. Navy vessel in what appeared to be an effort to harass the American crew.

The Obama administration is protesting to the Chinese government. The protest will be delivered to Beijing's military attache on Monday.

The Defense Department said in a statement that a Chinese intelligence ship and several others surrounded the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed vessel with a civilian merchant marine crew. The U.S. vessel was conducting ocean surveys Sunday in international waters in the South China Sea.

The statement said the Navy sprayed one ship with water from fire hoses to force it away and the Chinese crew members stripped to their underwear and continued closing within 25 feet.

The question of professionalism by the PLAN is something that should be considered. Interesting timing too, just after Mil-to-Mil relations were restored between the two countries.

Clearly not everyone in China wants to play nice with the US. In the US, this type of thing would be the end of someones career. It will be interesting to see how China deals with it.

Update1: AP is reporting additional details here.

Pentagon officials said the close encounter followed several other incidents involving the Impeccable and another U.S. vessel Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

—On Wednesday, a Chinese Bureau of Fisheries Patrol vessel used a high-intensity spotlight to illuminate the ocean surveillance ship USNS Victorious as it operated in the Yellow Sea, about 125 nautical miles from China's coast, the Pentagon said. The move was made without notice or warning, U.S. officials said. The next day, a Chinese Y-12 maritime surveillance aircraft conducted 12 fly-bys of Victorious at an altitude of about 400 feet and a range of 500 yards.

—On Thursday, a Chinese frigate approached USNS Impeccable without warning and crossed its bow at a close range of approximately 100 yards, the Pentagon said. This was followed less than two hours later by a Chinese Y-12 aircraft conducting 11 fly-bys of Impeccable at an altitude of 600 feet and a range from 100-300 feet. The frigate then closely crossed Impeccable's bow yet again, this time at a range of approximately 400-500 yards without rendering courtesy or notice of her intentions.

—On Saturday, a Chinese intelligence collection ship challenged USNS Impeccable over bridge-to-bridge radio, calling her operations illegal and directing Impeccable to leave the area or "suffer the consequences."

Sunday's incident is reminiscent of a similar early foreign policy crisis that forced former President George W. Bush to deal with Beijing shortly after he took office—China's forced landing of a spy plane and seizure of the crew in April 2001.

That entire second article is a very informed piece. It looks like a government coordinated effort to me.

Update 2: White House response:

"Our ships operate fairly regularly in international waters where these incidents took place. We are going to continue to operate in those international waters and we expect the Chinese to observe international laws around them," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a news conference.

Does this mean the USNS Impeccable will go back to Hainan Island and resume operations? If it does, Obama is handling this exactly right in my opinion. That approach doesn't threaten, stays within accepted international law, and demonstrates no fear.

Check out Salamanders take. Regular andrewdb posted the first comment over there "I think it is time for the carriers to make another run through the China straits."

For those who enjoy the long view by reflecting history, that would be the answer to the question "What would Bill Clinton do?"