US Navy shows Chinese warship’s ‘unsafe interaction’ near Taiwan

China has not commented directly on the US criticism of the encounter, and its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

On Saturday night, China’s military rebuked the US and Canada for “deliberately provoking risk” with the rare joint sailing.

Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping told Reuters that this “point blank interception” was a demonstration of both the capabilities and “courage” of China’s navy.

“The more intensified the provocation from the US, the stronger the countermeasures from China,” Song said.

It was the second such encounter in recent days.

On May 26, a Chinese fighter jet carried out an “unnecessarily aggressive” manoeuvre near a US military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace, according to the US.

“It seems to me that Beijing has instructed its forces to respond more assertively against what it believes are encroaching US and allied forces,” said Derek Grossman, senior defence analyst at the RAND Corporation, a US think tank.

“By doing so, China is only increasing the chances for miscalculation – namely ships or aircraft accidentally colliding – that could then spiral into armed conflict,” he added.

In 2001, a US spy plane made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan island after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet, whose pilot died.

Taiwan’s defence ministry on Sunday called China’s actions with the US and Canadian ships “provocation” and said it was the common responsibility of free and democratic countries to maintain peace and stability in the strait.

“Any actions to increase tension and danger will not contribute to regional security,” it said in a statement.

The ministry called on China to respect the right to freedom of navigation.

China views Taiwan as its own territory, a claim the government in Taipei strongly rejects.

Beijing has been stepping up military and political pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept its sovereignty, including staging regular manoeuvres near the island.