The Facts
The US Indo-Pacific Command has accused a Chinese warship of behaving in an "unsafe manner" toward a US destroyer Saturday after the ships came within 150 yards (137 meters) of each other in the Taiwan Strait.
Video footage of the incident released by the US on Monday shows the Chinese naval ship Luyang III cutting toward USS Chung-Hoon, causing the US destroyer to slow down to avoid a collision.
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
The US is continuing to provoke China despite the PRC’s willingness to stabilize relations between the two states. Beijing won’t hesitate to fight back against American aggression if the Biden administration doesn’t make amends, abide by the previously agreed upon One-China policy, and do what’s necessary to avoid a further dispute.
Anti-China narrative
Washington must remain aggressive in the face of China’s expanded power for the sake of ensuring PRC ideology does not become the global norm. It’s important for the US to continue strengthening deterrents in the Indo-Pacific region.
