BY SUI-LEE WEE
BEIJING Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:23am EST
(Reuters) -
China on Wednesday confirmed
an incident between a Chinese naval vessel and a U.S.
warship in the South China Sea, after Washington
said a U.S.
guided missile cruiser had avoided a collision with a Chinese warship
maneuvering nearby.
Experts
have said the near-miss between the USS Cowpens and a Chinese warship operating
near China 's only aircraft
carrier, the Liaoning , was the most significant
U.S.-China maritime incident in the disputed South China
Sea since 2009.