White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that China is becoming more aggressive against the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region and if the temperature isn’t lowered, “it won’t be long before somebody gets hurt.”
Mr. Kirby’s comments came two days after a Chinese warship crossed an American warship’s bow at a distance of 150 yards, forcing the U.S. Navy destroyer to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.
The incident was the second close call between China and the U.S. In late May, a Chinese fighter jet crossed the path of an American reconnaissance plane as it flew in international airspace above the South China Sea.
Speaking at the daily White House briefing, Mr. Kirby said two incidents underscore a “growing aggressiveness” by Beijing, adding that China was acting outside international “rules of the road.”
“These two that you saw recently … are unsafe and unprofessional,” he said. “These are part and parcel of an increasing level of aggressiveness by the [China’s] military, particularly in the area of the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.”
Despite the tension, Mr. Kirby said President Biden is committed to keeping open lines of communication with Beijing to “make it clear how unacceptable those particular intercepts are.”
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“We are going to keep standing up for those rules of the road,” he said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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