Chinese Ships Harass Unarmed Navy Craft in International Waters

Madeline Moton

Recently on March 9th 2009, an incident involving Chinese Naval ships and U.S Naval ships occurred in the Yellow Sea. The Chinese "immature" behavior included coming within 25 feet of the American boat and strewing debris in its path, according to the Defense Department. To the Chinese, the incident was like a game, and nothing serious, as supported from this excerpt from the article: "In Beijing, Chinese officials did not immediately respond to voicemail messages and e-mail regarding the U.S. allegations".
However, the lack of proper communication between the two countries could have been a large factor as to why the Chinese initially attacked the U.S Navy ship. An interesting fact within all of the foul play is that China and the U.S had just recently resumed military-to-military consultations. So, the behavior on China's parts seems overly aggressive and breaks international law. Another question that arises is why would this occur between two countries that have so much money and worth invested in the peaceful relationship they attempt to keep with each other. These two nearly competing powers need to discover a way to reduce attrition between on another in order to continue with a peaceful, and productive relationship.