WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. and Chinese warships nearly collided in the South China Sea when a Chinese ship cut across the bow of an American cruiser, a U.S. official said Saturday.
The incident has raised tensions between the countries as a time China is claiming sovereignty over much of the area, the New York Times reported Saturday.
The episode occurred Dec. 5 but was not revealed until Friday.
The USS Cowpens was observing a new Chinese aircraft carrier as it made its first voyage from its base in Qingdoa, a senior U.S. defense official and U.S. Navy experts said.
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The Chinese vessel, which was accompanying the carrier, cut across the bow of the Cowpens at a distance under 200 yards, a maneuver the defense official called "particularly aggressive."
A military official said the Chinese ship wanted the American ship to stop in international water, Stars and Stripes reported.
"I don't know the intent of the guy driving that PLA [People's Liberation Army] ship," another military official said. "I just know that he was moving to impede and harass the Cowpens. I mean, from my perspective, having him stop in the middle of the South China Sea is kind of dumb."
No shots were fired and the situation was eventually resolved by ship-to-ship radio communications between the Cowpens and the aircraft carrier, a military official said.
In November, China claimed much of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, a claim not recognized by other nations or international bodies.
A State Department spokesman said the incident had been raised with the Chinese government "at a high level."
