Canada's navy said a Chinese navy warship aggressively cut in front of the convoy and came within 150 meters of crashing into the American ship the USS Chung-Hoon. Earlier this month, the Pentagon said a Chinese fighter jet cut dangerously close in front of an American surveillance plane in international airspace above the South China Sea.
Austin touted expanded military exercises with allies and partners, including Japan, Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. The U.S. is also increasing the sharing of military technology with India, creating interoperability between its military systems with Japan, and is currently building a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines with Australia.
"Why does this all happen near China's sovereign waters and airspace? Chinese ships and aircraft never go near other countries' airspace and waters," said China's defense chief Li. Searching for conflict? Just a thought.