OMM Newsroom
China said on Tuesday that a US warship had entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, AnewZ reported. A separate incident near Taiwan also brought competing sovereignty claims into focus.
China’s Southern Theater Command said it had sent naval forces to track the USS Charleston after it entered waters near Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands without Beijing’s permission.
The command called the vessel’s passage illegal and accused Washington of undermining maritime security. It urged the United States to stop such operations.
A Philippine military spokesperson rejected China’s position, saying the US vessel had not entered Chinese territory. The spokesperson said Beijing’s permission was not required for lawful passage through international waters.
Sabina Shoal remains disputed
Sabina Shoal has become a recurring flashpoint between China and the Philippines. Their competing claims there form part of a broader dispute over the Spratly Islands.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the waterway.
The dispute concerns not only control of territory but also access to sea routes and the authority to regulate the activities of foreign vessels.
The US Navy has previously conducted freedom of navigation operations to challenge maritime restrictions it considers excessive. Washington has not confirmed whether the USS Charleston’s latest passage was one of those operations.
A month before the incident, the Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese vessel of hitting a Philippine boat near Sabina Shoal during a refuelling mission. Chinese officials blamed the Philippines for the collision.
Manila’s mutual defence treaty with Washington gives the dispute broader significance. However, no collision between US and Chinese vessels was reported on Tuesday.
Ships issue radio warnings near Pratas
Farther north, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said a Chinese Coast Guard vessel had entered restricted waters near the Pratas Islands. Taipei then sent its Taichung vessel to the area.
The two ships exchanged warnings by radio during the incident.
According to Taiwan’s Coast Guard, the Chinese vessel challenged Taiwan’s political legitimacy over the radio, saying the “Republic of China” — the island’s official name — did not exist. Taiwan’s patrol vessel defended the island’s sovereignty.
The confrontation was still underway when Taiwanese officials issued their statement. China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The week before the incident, Beijing issued a warning after Taiwan’s Coast Guard used water cannons against a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas.
Taipei administers the islands, which lie between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong. They are mainly protected by Taiwan’s Coast Guard.
Incidents concern separate disputes
The incidents took place in different parts of the South China Sea and involve separate disputes. There is no indication that they are connected.
Both incidents show how disagreements over maritime jurisdiction can bring naval and coast guard vessels into direct contact. The dispute near Sabina Shoal concerns China’s claims and the ability of foreign vessels to operate in contested waters. Near Pratas, maritime enforcement is linked to Beijing’s broader sovereignty dispute with Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory. Taiwan’s government rejects that claim.
Beijing’s expansion of Coast Guard operations around Taiwan has drawn criticism from US and Taiwanese officials.
At a forum in Taipei on Tuesday, the chair of a US congressional commission described Chinese Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan as seriously destabilising.
At the same event, Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, said Beijing had no legal claim to waters east of the island.
No armed clashes were reported in either incident. However, Chinese and Taiwanese officials said the confrontation near Pratas was ongoing, while Beijing demanded an end to US maritime activity near Sabina Shoal.
