Beijing chastises America after sending Chinese warship to cut off US destroyer in Taiwan Strait

Communist China is becoming increasingly brazen with its anti-American military provocations.

Over the weekend, a Chinese warship cut in front of the USS Chung-Hoon, an American destroyer, which was conducting a routine transit of the Taiwan Strait along with the HSMC Montreal, a Canadian frigate.

According to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the USS Chung-Hoon and Montreal were traveling Saturday "through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply."

During the transit, the Luyang III, a Type 052D Chinese guided-missile destroyer, "executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner in the vicinity of Chung-Hoon," overtaking the U.S. destroyer on its port side then crossing its bow at 150 yards.

While the American vessel maintained its course, it did, however, slow its advance to avoid a collision.

After cutting off the American destroyer without signaling, the Luyang reportedly crossed the Chung-Hoon's bow a second time starboard "to port at 2,000 yards."

USINDOPACOM later stressed that the "U.S. military flies, sails, and operates safely and responsible anywhere international law allows."

Footage shows one of the communist ship's maneuvers:

To add insult to injury, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin defended the threatening gesture, suggesting that the American presence in international waters, parallel to the democratic island nation of Taiwan, was the provocation at issue.

Wenbin said, "China’s military actions are completely justified, lawful, safe and professional. ... It is the U.S. that should deeply reflect upon itself and correct the wrongdoings," reported the Los Angeles Times.

Chinese defense minister Gen. Li Shangfu similarly defended the warship's interference in the free movement of the U.S. Navy, telling the world's top defense officials gathered in Singapore Sunday, "we must prevent attempts that try to use those freedom of navigation (patrols), that innocent passage, to exercise hegemony of navigation."

Shangfu added, "Mind your own business," suggesting the U.S. should instead take "good care of your own territorial airspace and waters" — which were recently invaded by a Chinese spy craft.

NBC News reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, present at the same forum Sunday, emphasized that Washington would not "flinch in the face of bullying or coercion" from China and that it would maintain is presence both in the South China Sea and along the Taiwan Strait.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that China has tested the resolve of American forces.

On May 26, a Chinese J-16 fighter pilot "performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver during the intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft," according to USINDOPACOM.

Video of the encounter shows the communist jet cut ahead of the American reconnaissance aircraft, forcing it to fly into its wake. This incident took place in international airspace.

The May 26 buzzing was reminiscent of a Dec. 21 incident during which a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter pilot came dangerously close to a USAF aircraft during an intercept over the South China Sea. The communist jet flew in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135.

TheBlaze previously reported that the Dec. 21 interception and subsequent provocation took place while the American plane was conducting legal, routine operations in international airspace.

Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, told PBS in December that he sees "the current strategic environment as really dangerous — the most dangerous time I have seen in 38 years."

China's "inability to operate in accordance with the rule-based order" is a destabilizing force in the region, he suggested.

Extra to compromising the safety of American servicemen, destabilizing the region, and flouting international law, China appears to be actively undermining critical American infrastructure.

TheBlaze recently detailed a Microsoft report that revealed Volt Typhoon, a state-sponsored outfit in China often tasked with espionage and information gathering, "is pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises."

Volt Typhoon has reportedly hit critical infrastructure in Guam and other American regions, affecting communications, manufacturing, transportation, government, maritime, and other sectors.

While commissioning hackers to chip away at America's cyber defenses and continuing its unprecedented military build-up, China continues to target the U.S. with intimidation and coercion campaigns, deadly fentanyl, and threats.

Despite Beijing's various ongoing efforts to undermine the U.S., the Chinese defense minister claimed Sunday that the world was big enough for China and the U.S. to grow together, reported the Daily Mail.

"Severe conflict or confrontation," conversely, "will be an unbearable disaster for the world," claimed Shangfu.

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