1993 Galaxy Incident (1993 Galaxy)

The story of the Yinhe incident

On July 7, 1993, the container ship "Yinhe" affiliated to Guangzhou Ocean Shipping Company of China Ocean Shipping Corporation was engaged in normal international business. The shipping ocean container liner set sail from Tianjin New Port and called at Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta, carrying 782 containers to Dubai, Dammam, and Kuwait. This is an ordinary, normal commercial shipping. The ship was loaded with stationery, hardware, machinery parts, dyes and other goods bound for the Middle East. The voyage lasts 45 days.

On July 23, the United States claimed to have conclusive evidence, accusing the freighter "Yinhe" of carrying thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride that can be used to make chemical weapons when it departed from Dalian Port on July 15. Ready for shipment to Bandar Abbas Port, Iran. The United States demanded that China take immediate measures to stop this behavior, otherwise it would impose sanctions on China in accordance with domestic laws. At the same time, it dispatched two warships and five helicopters to the international waters where the "Yinhe" is located.

At 7:30 in the morning on August 3, Mi Junxi, who served as a driver's assistant, was on duty when he discovered a military helicopter quietly appearing behind the cargo ship. "At that time in the Gulf, it was commonplace for U.S. military aircraft to roar in the sky." Mi Junxi didn't pay special attention at first.

But soon, the plane came to hover at low altitude above the Galaxy Wheel, only about ten meters high from the masthead. Then the port door opened, and an aerial camera took an all-round shot of the Galaxy Wheel. More than an hour later, the helicopter inquired about the ship's name, course, speed, port of registry, cargo status and destination port through the VHF16 channel. Out of etiquette and the custom of merchant shipping, Captain Zhang Rude responded to the dynamics of the Galaxy and made it clear that the Galaxy was conducting normal commercial shipping. After a few minutes, the helicopter left. At 12:30, a US military large-tonnage cruiser numbered 61 appeared on the right front of the freighter. The ship's missile launchers, artillery and ship-based helicopters are clearly visible. The warship accelerated past the starboard side of the Galaxy, then turned around and followed closely at a distance of 4 nautical miles. At 13:00, two more US military aircraft took turns circling at low altitude above the Galaxy Wheel.

In the evening of that day, the "Yinhe" received the company's instructions. At 19:30, due to various pressures, the Galaxy ship was forced to stop and anchor in the deep sea at the east entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

During this period, the United States once said that if the Galaxy sailed towards Iran, they would use all military means to sink the Galaxy.

More than 10 days after the "Yinhe" anchored outside the Strait of Hormuz, after inter-governmental negotiations, it moved 38 nautical miles to the southwest and anchored about 50 kilometers outside the port of Fujairah in the northeastern United Arab Emirates. High seas in the Sea of ??Oman.

After many negotiations, on August 20, an Emirati water tanker replenished the Galaxy with fresh water and delivered many fresh vegetables and fruits to the crew, temporarily easing the crew's living difficulties.

On August 27, a 16-member inspection team headed by Sha Zukang, Deputy Director-General of the International Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, boarded the Galaxy to visit all the crew members. The United States’ first boarding inspection

On August 28, China agreed to the United States sending experts as technical advisors to the Saudi government to inspect the "Galaxy" anchored in Dammam Port.

At 9:20 a.m. that day, a Chinese inspection team of 15 people, a Saudi inspection team of 7 people, and a U.S. team of 10 people boarded the Galaxy for inspection. During the two-day inspection, U.S. personnel first reviewed the Galaxy Ship's cargo manifest, found the containers destined for Iran, conducted a visual inspection, and then unloaded and opened the containers that were considered suspicious for inspection. However, except for ordinary goods such as stationery, small hardware, mechanical parts, and leather shoes, there was no trace of the chemical dangerous goods mentioned by the United States.

At 10:30 pm on August 30, the inspection of the last box of goods sent from various ports in China ended. The next day, the test results for 8 boxes of liquid chemicals came out, and no thiodiglycol or thionyl chloride was found. , but the United States also proposed to inspect all goods on the Galaxy ship, including goods sent from third countries. In order to find out the truth as soon as possible, China agreed to expand inspections.

Second US boarding inspection

The new round of inspection lasted from September 2 to 10 a.m. on September 4. The 782nd ship carried by the Galaxy, that is, The last container cargo inspection and testing are completed. At 13:04, China, Saudi Arabia and the United States signed the inspection report after inspecting all the cargo of the Galaxy, confirming that the Galaxy did not carry thiodiethylene glycol and thionyl chloride. After the inspection, Sha Zukang said to the American personnel: "Did you buy all your intelligence for one dollar?"

At the negotiation table on August 31, Makyoum, the US representative and counselor of the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia He said that Washington believed that the United States had only inspected part of the cargo of the Galaxy and could not publicly admit that the two chemicals, thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride, were not on board. He said that either all the Chinese goods on the ship were unpacked and inspected, or they were inspected part by part according to the list. We will continue to investigate until Washington deems it acceptable. Regarding the U.S. request, the Chinese representative pointed out: You have repeatedly torn up the original agreement, reneged on your promise, and now you have openly violated your promise not to interfere with the goods of third countries. The U.S. personnel are consciously at fault. However, they tried to quibble in every possible way, and even had to say: This was under the orders of Washington. The Saudi representative was unwilling to express his position directly, so he suggested that the future agreement should be written in writing and signed by the three parties.

Expressed dissatisfaction with the US approach in a clever way. The U.S. representative felt that Saudi Arabia's opinion was a bit sudden. He glanced at the other party and said: I need to consult Washington for your suggestion.

At 5:20 pm on September 1, the three parties resumed talks. In order to clarify the truth to the world, China solemnly declares: In order to conduct the next inspection more smoothly, find out the truth as soon as possible, and settle this matter, China has agreed to expand inspections despite its opposition to the above-mentioned US request.

What is the impact of the Yinhe incident?

The "Yinhe" drifted on the high seas for 33 days and was forced to change its route and delay unloading, causing serious economic losses to China. , endangering the safety of Chinese ships and their personnel, and causing a bad political impact in the world.

On July 23, 1993, the United States accused the Chinese freighter "Yinhe" of transporting raw materials for manufacturing chemical weapons to Iran on the grounds of obtaining intelligence, and threatened to impose sanctions on China. At the same time, the United States dispatched two warships and five helicopters to the international waters where the "Galaxy" is located.

The Yinhe was detained for three weeks. On September 4, the last cargo box on the "Yinhe" freighter was inspected and no chemical weapons were found. The "Yinhe" was forced to suspend normal shipping. Up to 33 days. On July 7, 1993, the "Yinhe" departed from Tianjin New Port and passed through Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta. Finally, it carried 628 containers and sailed to the Middle East.

It is expected to arrive at Dubai Port in the Persian Gulf on August 3 for unloading, and then go to Dammam Port in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Port. Since July 23, the United States has claimed to have conclusive evidence, accusing the "Galaxy" cargo ship of transporting thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride that can be used to make chemical weapons to Bandar Abbas Port in Iran.

The United States sent warships and aircraft to track and monitor the Galaxy and required the Galaxy to return. The "Galaxy" was intercepted and detained by US warships in the international waters of the Indian Ocean for three weeks. ?

China is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations. However, in the early 1990s, China’s national strength was still slowly recovering from the comprehensive social and economic stagnation of the ten-year Cultural Revolution. Although reform and opening up had been launched, the economy The strength and military strength lag behind the other four countries of the P5. It was not until the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1991 that the huge gap in modern military strength and national power between China and the United States was clearly reflected. ?

The United States in the Galaxy incident was the leader and influencer of the incident. In geopolitics, the United States always prioritizes pragmatism, and this incident is no exception.

Extended information:

Influence of related figures:

Weak countries have no diplomacy. On July 7, 1993, the famous Galaxy incident occurred. The person in charge at the time It was the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Sha Zukang who made three useless remarks when handling this matter. Said: If we don't deal with this incident, it will be useless! If we deal with it and let him board the ship for inspection, we are useless.

If the United States prosecutes, there will be no chemical weapons by then, and the United States will be useless. When he was interviewed by Wang Zhi on CCTV's "Face to Face" in Beijing, he said he was a coward 17 times in a row. Note: At that time, the Yinhe set sail from Xingang in Tianjin, passed through Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, and was approaching Amman. The United States announced that there might be chemical weapons raw materials on the Yinhe that were transported to Iran.

And gave China three conditions to choose. The first condition: let the Galaxy return immediately; second, accept inspection by the Americans and board the ship; third, stay where it is and wait for the landing. If the conditions are not accepted, China will be sanctioned. Change from three meals a day to two meals a day. There are three American warships behind and helicopters in the sky.

Until August 28, Saudi Arabia, the United States and China boarded the ship for inspection. Because of the agreement, 49 of the 628 containers belong to Iran.

What does the Galaxy incident in 1993 refer to?

On July 23, 1993, the United States accused the Chinese freighter "Yinhe" of transporting raw materials for making chemical weapons to Iran, creating the "Yinhe" incident that shocked the world. The cargo ship "Galaxy" was forced to undergo inspection at the port of Dammam. A Xinhua News Agency reporter who was interviewing at the scene recently disclosed the whole story of the "Yinhe" incident. China has currently sent journalists and photographers to more than 100 countries and regions. They have used their hard work and sweat to truly and vividly record the changing world historical process from different aspects. "Witnesses of Emergency Events" recently published by Xinhua Publishing House and edited by Lu Haoqing, uses first-hand materials and a documentary style to reveal the truth of many little-known historical events. This article is excerpted from the book "Witnesses of Emergencies", with the original title "The Blue Sea and the Heart of the Country Raise the Prestige of the Country". The author Chen Wenru has been engaged in journalism since 1970. He has successively served as reporter of Xinhua News Agency's Kuwait Branch, chief reporter of Aden Branch, head of Sana'a Branch, chief reporter of Abu Dhabi Branch, and director of the Foreign Branch Management Division of Xinhua News Agency's Foreign Affairs Bureau. He is a senior reporter of Xinhua News Agency. At 1 pm on September 4, 1993, after the inspection results of the Chinese freighter "Yinhe" were announced at the Dammam port in Saudi Arabia, located in the Persian Gulf, I issued the "Inspection Report Signed by Representatives of China and Saudi Arabia and US Advisors" from Dammam within a few minutes. - "Yinhe" did not carry thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride" and "The head of the Chinese inspection team issued a statement - "Yinhe" is innocent".

Since July 23, the United States has accused the Chinese freighter "Yinhe" of carrying two types of chemical weapons precursors, thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride, to Iran, causing the "Yinhe" incident that shocked the world. The cargo ship "Galaxy" was forced to undergo inspection at the port of Dammam. As an on-site reporter, I followed and closely watched the development of the situation day and night. As a Chinese, I have witnessed the outrageous behavior and arrogance of Americans who ignore China's sovereignty and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. The anger and anger in my heart have long been unsuppressed and are about to burst out. Therefore, as soon as the "Inspection Report" was announced, I immediately rushed to send the news so that this exciting news could spread around the world as soon as possible. Before coming to Dammam, I served as the chief reporter at Xinhua News Agency’s Abu Dhabi branch, responsible for reporting on Gulf Arab countries including Saudi Arabia. After the "Yinhe" incident occurred, I was transferred to join the Chinese inspection team and went to the Dammam Port to report on the cargo inspection of the "Yinhe" freighter. At that time, two diplomats from the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in the United Arab Emirates also participated in the work of the Chinese inspection team with me. "Yinhe" is a full container freighter owned by Guangzhou Ocean Shipping Company of China Ocean Shipping Corporation. On July 7, 1993, the ship set sail after loading cargo at Tianjin New Port as planned, passing through Shanghai-Hong Kong-Singapore-Jakarta. Finally, it carried 628 containers and sailed to the Middle East. It is expected to arrive in Persia on August 3 The cargo is unloaded at Dubai Port in the Gulf and then goes to Dammam Port in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Port. However, the United States made waves out of thin air. Starting from July 23, on the grounds of obtaining intelligence, it was accused that the Chinese freighter "Yinhe" departed from Dalian Port on July 15, loaded with thiodiethylene glycol and thionyl chloride, two types of raw materials for making chemical weapons, and was heading to Iran. Bandar Abbas port. U.S. officials also plausibly claimed that the U.S. government required the Chinese government to take immediate measures to stop this export behavior and threatened to impose sanctions on China otherwise. In another negotiation with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 3, the United States actually asked the Chinese government to order the "Yinhe" ship to return to the place of departure; or for Americans to board the ship to inspect the cargo; or to simply stay at a certain location and wait for consequences. The United States also spread its false intelligence to the countries where the cargo ship planned to dock, and accordingly asked these countries to prevent the cargo ship from entering the port to unload cargo as planned, creating the "Galaxy" incident that shocked the world. China has strongly protested against the U.S.'s repeated groundless accusations and hegemonic behavior. In order to prevent the situation from worsening, China instructed the "Yinhe" to suspend its advance on August 3 and anchor on the high seas more than 10 nautical miles away from the Strait of Hormuz. After careful and comprehensive investigation into the US's doubts, China clearly told the US on August 4 that the "Yinhe" cargo ship did not carry the two chemicals mentioned by the US at all, and put forward positive suggestions to solve the problem, including in the Middle East. The first stop was Dubai Port, where local customs and China jointly inspected the "Yinhe" cargo container suspected by the United States. On August 7, the head of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a speech and solemnly pointed out that the departure date, departure port and arrival port of the Chinese "Yinhe" claimed by the United States were completely untrue. The so-called cargo ship carried chemical weapons precursors was purely a rumor and strongly stated that the ship was carrying chemical weapons precursors. Protest the US’s hegemonic behavior of ignoring China’s clarification. However, as late as August 12, a senior U.S. official declared: "We have reliable intelligence proving that the ship is carrying chemical weapons precursors, and we are determined to inspect the ship." The U.S.'s frame-ups, accusations, and threats have For "Yinhe", it was like a bolt from the blue, disaster fell from the sky. Starting from August 1, the crew of the "Yinhe" discovered that an American warship was following closely behind them. At first they thought the warship was sailing with them, but the 54-year-old captain Zhang Rude, with many years of experience as a captain and From my sailing experience, I had a vague feeling that the situation was abnormal. At 8 a.m. on August 3, after the "Yinhe" arrived in the Gulf of Oman, a U.S. military helicopter circled and followed the "Yinhe" and inquired about the name, course, speed, cargo status, departure port and destination of the "Yinhe". Hong Kong etc. The door of the US helicopter is open, and the camera of the "Galaxy" is taken from time to time. At 12:30 noon that day, USS No. 61 approached the USS Galaxy and followed it. At 19:30 that day, the freighter "Yinhe" anchored in the Gulf of Oman about 11 nautical miles away from the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with the company's instructions and was on standby. During this period, U.S. warships No. 61, No. 975, and No. 996 took turns sailing back and forth at a distance of two to five nautical miles in front, back, left, and right of it, setting off layers of waves; U.S. fighter jets, helicopters, and reconnaissance planes continued to circle around it at low altitudes, rolling in waves. There were strong winds, which seemed to swallow up the entire "Galaxy" wheel. We are working together to tide over the scorching summer heat of the Persian Gulf, with temperatures reaching over 50 degrees Celsius under the sun. The hull of the "Yinhe" drifting on the high seas was so hot in the sun that blisters would form if your hands touched the deck or the iron guardrail. The cabin is like a big steamer. However, the crew members were unable to bathe and receive adequate nutrition as usual. Because the "Yinhe" drifted on the high seas for a long time, the fresh water and food carried on normal voyages began to run short. Captain Zhang Rude had to ask everyone to economize on food and water. On the day of the anchorage, they began to lower their food standards, changing from the usual three dishes and one soup to two dishes and one soup, and the quantity was also significantly smaller than usual. In order to save water, some people did not even take a shower for a week. People are losing weight, their physiques are declining, and their illnesses are increasing. But they were not intimidated by what they saw. When the Americans called the captain from the warship and said, "We can provide you with oil, water and food," Captain Zhang Rude flatly refused and said, "We don't need it!" The crew members said: In order to maintain the dignity of the motherland, they would rather eat frugally than accept a drop of oil or water from the United States.

More than 10 days after the "Yinhe" anchored outside the Strait of Hormuz, after inter-governmental negotiations, it moved 38 nautical miles to the southwest and anchored in the high seas of the Sea of ??Oman about 50 nautical miles outside the port of Fujairah in the northeastern United Arab Emirates. , after many efforts, the "Yinhe" ship entered the Dammam Port and was inspected by representatives of the Chinese government and the Saudi government. The United States sent experts to participate in the inspection as technical advisors to Saudi Arabia. Why be afraid of "bad people"? On the morning of August 28, US and Saudi personnel, accompanied by Chinese personnel, counted, browsed and inspected the cargo on the ship. The US technicians were dressed in desert camouflage uniforms and carried unpacking tools, inspection instruments and flashlights. They were already eager to try and were determined not to give up until the two types of chemicals claimed by the US Intelligence Agency were found; China has repeatedly stated that the "Yinhe" has not yet been launched. Containing the two types of chemicals claimed by the US, it is naturally confident; as for Saudi Arabia, it provides a place where the US wants to seize evidence and China wants to clarify the facts, and is friendly to both parties. At 10:10 a.m. on August 29, the unpacking inspection began. Containers destined for Iran naturally bear the brunt. When the first box was opened, it was filled with lead-sealed black iron barrels. A layman would be surprised to see it. The Americans present were surprised, the Saudis were surprised, and only the Chinese remained calm. The American technical experts were overjoyed and hurried forward, carefully considering these black iron barrels, thinking that these might be the two types of liquid chemicals they were looking for. When they were told that there was solid dye inside, they didn't believe it, so they still took out two boxes from the middle and opened them to see what was going on. Even the shoe cartons destined for Iran were ignored, suspecting that they contained liquid chemicals. This morning, the Americans opened 25 containers shipped from China to Iran. In the evening, the remaining boxes were checked. By around 11 p.m., all the containers shipped from China to Iran had been unpacked and inspected, and there was no trace of the chemical weapons precursors claimed by the United States - thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride. After the erroneous intelligence was revealed that the two types of chemicals they were looking for were not found in the containers shipped to Iran, the United States proposed to inspect all the suspected containers that were shipped from Tianjin Xingang Port and Shanghai Port the next day. China agreed to the US request. However, the results disappointed them again. Americans are panicking. Therefore, they suspected that the "intelligence" was wrong. According to them, the box numbers provided by the US intelligence agency are CSAQ3101 and CSAQ3102. When they discovered that the "Yinhe" freighter did not have these two containers and their bill of lading numbers, they suspected that the intelligence agency had remembered the "numbers" wrong, so they proposed to check the similar and easily confused container No. CSAQ3010. China readily agreed. But when I opened the box, I saw that they were playing cards destined for Pakistan. The stupid behavior of Americans became the laughing stock of everyone present. As of around 11 p.m., all 49 cargo boxes shipped from China to Iran and which the US suspected and thought needed to be inspected were all opened and inspected, but the Americans still found nothing. So they bet on the test results on the 31st. Laboratory results showed that the above-mentioned chemicals were not thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride. The Americans were in an embarrassing situation, but they did not stop there. At the negotiation table on August 31, Mark Youm, the US representative and counselor of the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, said that Washington believed that the US had only inspected part of the cargo of the "Yinhe" and "cannot publicly admit that the ship did not carry thiodiethylene glycol and Asiatic acid." Two types of chemicals: sulfuryl chloride." He said that either all the Chinese goods on the ship should be unpacked and inspected, or they should be inspected part by part according to the list until Washington thinks it is OK. In response to the unreasonable demands of the United States, the Chinese representative pointed out: You have repeatedly torn up the original agreements, reneged on your words, and broken your promises. Now it is openly violating its promise to "never touch" goods from third countries, and even wants to search all the containers of the "Yinhe". This is a domineering act. The American personnel felt that they were in the wrong, but they tried to make excuses in every possible way, and even had to say: "This is an order from Washington." The Saudi representative was unwilling to express his position directly, so he suggested: "The agreement reached in the future should be written in writing and signed by the three parties." Expressed dissatisfaction with the US approach in a clever way. The U.S. representative felt that Saudi Arabia's opinion was a bit sudden. He glanced at the other side and said, "I have to ask Washington for your suggestion." At 5:20 pm on September 1, the three parties resumed talks. In order to clarify the truth to the world, China solemnly announced: "In order to conduct the next inspection more smoothly, find out the truth as soon as possible, and settle this matter, China has agreed to expand the inspection despite its opposition to the above-mentioned US request." Mr. "OK" signed to admit his mistake. According to the agreement reached during the talks, all the containers carried by the "Yinhe" were unpacked and inspected. But the more boxes they unpacked, the more nervous and embarrassed Americans seemed. Because this can only mean that they opened the boxes randomly without conclusive evidence. Therefore, Saudi Arabian representatives sometimes seem to be teasing Americans. When he opened the box and saw that it was a very light daily necessities packaged in cartons, he asked the American representative: "OK?!" The American smiled bitterly and said, "OK." They were no longer so domineering and arrogant now. Until all 628 containers carried by the "Yinhe" were unpacked and inspected, the two chemicals accused by the United States of chemical weapons precursors thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride were still not found. In the face of the hard facts, Americans had to admit defeat. At 1 p.m. on September 4, representatives from China, the United States and Saudi Arabia officially signed the "Investigation Report" on the "Yinhe", confirming that the "Yinhe" freighter did not carry the above-mentioned chemical weapons precursors.

At this point, the Americans have lost everything in the battle with the "Galaxy" incident that they created by themselves, and shot themselves in the foot! On September 4, 1993, representatives of China, Saudi Arabia and US consultants signed an inspection report confirming that the "Yinhe" did not carry the "chemical weapons precursors" thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride