Chinese Boats Harassed U.S. Ship – 5th Incident In Months

Two Chinese fishing vessels came “dangerously close” to a U.S. military ship in the Yellow Sea off the coast of China last week — the fifth such incident in the past few months.

The officials — who could not be identified because the incident has not yet been formally announced — said the two Chinese boats approached the USNS Victorious, a military sealift command ship, in international waters Friday in the Yellow Sea, which lies between China and North and South Korea.

Over a period of several hours, the officials said, the Chinese vessels repeatedly came close to the Victorious in what was described as deliberate maneuvers — once coming within 30 yards of the U.S. vessel.

Both officials said the Chinese vessels came to a dead halt in front of the Victorious at one point, in heavy fog, causing the U.S. ship to have to come to a dangerous sudden stop. The officials did not know the exact size of the Chinese ships but described them as being smaller than the 235-foot long U.S. vessel.

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China Military Build-up Seems Focused On U.S.

China’s build-up of sea and air military power funded by a strong economy appears aimed at the United States, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday.

Admiral Michael Mullen said China had the right to meet its security needs, but the build-up would require the United States to work with its Pacific allies to respond to increasing Chinese military capabilities.

“They are developing capabilities that are very maritime focused, maritime and air focused, and in many ways, very much focused on us,” he told a conference of the Navy League, a nonprofit seamen’s support group, in Washington.

“They seem very focused on the United States Navy and our bases that are in that part of the world.”

China in March unveiled its official military budget for 2009 of $70.24 billion, the latest in nearly two decades of double-digit rises in declared defense spending.

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