American innocence abroad

I mean, I can't believe this Chinese provocation. If there is anything that can prove American innocence abroad it is this: "According to the Americans, their unarmed ship Impeccable, under naval supervision but with a civilian crew, was peacefully surveying the ocean floor in international waters about 120km (75 miles) south of China’s Hainan Island (see map). Five Chinese boats—naval and civilian—approached her on March 8th. Chinese sailors reportedly waved Chinese flags and told the Impeccable to leave. The Impeccable turned fire-hoses on one boat to stop her getting too close. Chinese sailors stripped to their underwear as their boat closed in. Two of the Chinese boats forced the Impeccable to do an emergency stop, before she eventually withdrew. The Chinese say the Impeccable was on a spy mission. Detecting submarines is indeed one of her roles, and Hainan is home to Chinese submarine bases. Moreover, says China’s foreign ministry, the vessel was in China’s exclusive economic zone. It accused the Impeccable of violating international and Chinese law. The Americans said it was the Chinese who had broken international law by not respecting the safety of a “lawful” ocean user."