This might not be completely on topic, but oh well. This might have some relevance to the article you posted above:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/wo....20740316.html
U.S. navy provoked South China Sea incident, China says
HONG KONG — China lashed out Tuesday at the United States, accusing a U.S. Navy ship of violating international law during a tense confrontation near a secret Chinese submarine base.
The Pentagon said five Chinese vessels blocked and surrounded a U.S. surveillance ship, the Impeccable, in international waters on Sunday. One of the ships came within 25 feet, or 8 meters, of the U.S. boat, the Pentagon said.
He did not specify what laws the American ship had broken but said the Impeccable had "conducted activities in China's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea without China's permission."