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U.S. Pacific commander finds Chinese incident 'confusing'

Tuesday, March 31, 2009   E-Mail this story   Free Headline Alerts

The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific broke more than a week of silence concerning ChinaÕs harassment of a U.S. Navy surveillance ship in the South China Sea, calling BeijingÕs action illegal and aggressive.

But Adm. Timothy Keating, however, continued to express bewilderment at the explanation for ChinaÕs use of five ships to harass the USNS Impeccable, claiming the action did not fit with ChinaÕs anti-piracy operations near Somalia.

The admiralÕs initial silence over the incident and expression of confusion is a sign that he, like many U.S. military commanders, does not fully understand ChinaÕs communist military which, according to its internal writings, views the United States as its enemy.

Keating told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 19 that the Impeccable incident was Òcertainly a troubling indicator that China, particularly in the South China Sea, is behaving in an aggressive, troublesome manner, and they're not willing to abide by acceptable standards of behavior or rules of the road.Ó Asked whether the incident was a sign of growing Chinese military aggression, Keating said he was Ònot sure.Ó

He noted that while the Chinese Òare behaving in such an irresponsible, one would say illegal, fashion in the South China Sea,Ó they have three ships engaged in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and are communicating with U.S. warships.

ÒSo at the same time they're playing by the rules in the same sandbox, they're clearly in violation of long-standing, centuries old rules of the road and responsible maritime behavior,Ó Keating said.

Keating called the matter Òconfusing,Ó highlighting what he said was a lack of understanding of Chinese military intentions.

Keating will retire in the coming months. His intended replacement is Adm. Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

U.S. efforts to develop an agreement designed to avoid incidents at sea have been rejected by ChinaÕs military since the 1990s, a clear indication, analysts say, that Beijing does not want to have a working relationship with the U.S. military.

U.S. efforts to engage ChinaÕs military in a dialogue on strategic nuclear weapons have also failed due to ChinaÕs refusal to engage in talks.

The incident in the South China Sea involved a PLA navy frigate and a Y-12 aircraft, along with an intelligence gathering ship under the State Oceanic Administration, a patrol boat of the Bureau of Maritime Fisheries, and two patrol boats thought to belong to ChinaÕs ocean militias.

The Chinese ships approached to within 25 feet and obstructed the path of the Impeccable.

Afterwards, the U.S. sent a guided missile destroyer to the region.

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