In an incalculably high-stakes game of naval chicken, a US guided missile destroyer last month narrowly avoided a collision with an escort ship accompanying China’s aircraft carrier during routine deployments by both navies in the South China Sea. The Chinese ship cut across the bow of the USS Cowpens, missing a clash by a stone’s throw. The Cowpens had been helping with the Philippine typhoon relief effort, and was deployed to observe close to where the carrier was undergoing sea trials.
The Pentagon and US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking during a trip to China, strongly objected to these “provocative” acts and called on Beijing to implement effective communication protocols and crisis prevention mechanisms to help prevent misunderstandings and potential escalation scenarios in the future. The Chinese response has been characteristically vague.
Such close calls between the two sides at sea or in the air are increasingly frequent as Chinese military forces deploy beyond national borders in greater numbers, rubbing up against US military patrols and deployments. Yet China is reluctant to enter into agreements defining the “rules of the road” for incidents of this kind. It has also demurred from establishing crisis communications protocols in the event of a misunderstanding between two ships’ captains. Why?