China confirms near miss with US ship

China confirmed Wednesday that one of its naval vessels almost collided with a U.S. warship based in the South China Sea.

{mosads}”During the encounter, the Chinese naval vessel properly handled it in accordance with strict protocol,” the ministry said Wednesday on its website.

“The two defense departments were kept informed of the relevant situation through normal working channels and carried out effective communication.”

China’s Defense Ministry said its vessel was conducting “normal patrols,” when it “met” with the American ship in early December, Reuters reports.

Experts told Reuters the near miss was the most significant U.S.-China maritime incident in the region since 2009.

After the incident two weeks ago, China’s official news agency Xinhua accused the U.S. of provoking China.

“On December 5, U.S. missile cruiser Cowpens, despite warnings from China’s aircraft carrier task group, broke into the Chinese navy’s drilling waters in the South China Sea, and almost collided with a Chinese warship nearby,” it said.

The U.S. ship, it continued, intentionally carried on with “surveillance” of the Chinese vessel and “triggered the confrontation.”

This incident happened as tensions in that region escalated due to a territorial dispute with Japan over China’s self-imposed Air Defense Zone and a set of islands it claimed.