China confirms near miss with US ship in South China Sea

China said on Wednesday that a Chinese naval vessel and a US warship "met" each other in the South China Sea, confirming an earlier statement from Washington that a US guided missile cruiser had avoided a collision with a Chinese warship maneuvering nearby in the sea.

China's Defence Ministry issued the statement on its website (www.mod.gov.cn) after Washington said last week its ship was forced to take evasive action on December 5 to avoid a collision.

"During the encounter, the Chinese naval vessels properly handled it in accordance with strict protocol," the ministry said.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Hui Li; Editing by Ben Blanchard and Jason Subler)