Chinese ship threatened US destroyer

The incident between the two ships took place at the end of September, but the details, in particular the transcript of the dialogue between the crews, have only now surfaced.

On 30 September, the destroyer USS Decatur and the Chinese warship Luyang made a dangerous approach to the South China Sea. The South China Morning Post has had access to footage of the incident, in which one can hear an American military saying the Chinese ship "is trying to push us out of the way."

The US Navy said that the "unsafe and unprofessional maneuver" of the Chinese ship had caused the American destroyer, who was conducting a navigation operation near the disputed Spratly Islands, to maneuver to avoid collision.

Beijing, for its part, replied that USS Decatur entered Chinese waters, demonstrating provocative actions.

Previously, Chinese and US vessels had already been involved in similar incidents in the South China Sea, but what occurred on September 30 was the most serious so far, according to US sources.