A tense U.S.-China naval encounter in the Taiwan Strait coinciding with the premier defense dialogue in Asia highlights the perils of reduced communication between Washington and Beijing, portending more such incidents and potential crises. On June 3, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer and a Canadian frigate in the Taiwan Strait had an ''unsafe interaction'' with a Chinese warship in which the latter directly cut across the path of the U.S. vessel twice, with one pass coming within 150 yards of the destroyer. The U.S. military said it and the Canadian navy were conducting a ''routine'' transit of the strait and called the incident ''unprofessional.'' China's foreign ministry responded that the Chinese military's actions were ''completely reasonable, legitimate, and professional and safe'' and that the United States had ''caused trouble and provocation first.''...
