As Canadian, allied ships sail to new missions, tensions over Taiwan remain
Global News
Meanwhile, photo bombing in the background were three Chinese warships. One of China's ships nearly hit a U.S. destroyer on Saturday.
In the strongest show of force seen on the trip so far, Canadian, Japanese, Australian and American ships have all sailed together toward new missions in the East China Sea.
The MV Asterix, a Canadian navy refuelling ship, led the formation as helicopters buzzed over top, photographing the mission. As Lt.-Cmdr. Scott Richard Colbourne, executive officer of HMCS Montreal described it, the show demonstrated “our interoperability, our capabilities together and the fact we’re willing together as one group.”
Meanwhile, photobombing in the background were three Chinese warships.
Colbourne says their presence was “not an impediment” to what the allied ships were doing.
But two days ago in the Taiwan Strait, their impact was significant.
A Chinese warship came within 150 yards of hitting American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon on Saturday during a rare joint Canada-U.S. mission sailing through the Taiwan Strait, the latest aggressive military move from Beijing in the South China Sea.
Global News has been travelling on HMCS Montreal since May 25 in the South China Sea and witnessed the near collision from the bridge wing of the ship.