Chinese military ‘expels’ US warship from disputed South China Sea waters

First confrontation between Chinese and US warships near Scarborough Shoal in six years comes after a pair of Chinese vessels collide while chasing away a Philippine ship from disputed atoll

The Chinese military said it expelled a US destroyer from disputed waters in the South China Sea, a rare tense encounter between the world’s two most powerful militaries.

The American navy had deployed the destroyer USS Higgins and a smaller warship, USS Cincinnati, near the Scarborough Shoal after two Chinese ships collided while chasing away a Philippine vessel from the disputed fishing atoll.

It was the first known US military operation in at least six years near the atoll off northwestern Philippines.

The Southern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army “organised forces to lawfully track, monitor, issue warnings, and expel the US warship, which entered the territorial waters near Huangyan Dao without authorisation from the Chinese government”, a military spokesperson said.

“The US move seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

The US navy's Seventh Fleet responded that "China's statement about this mission is false”. It claimed that the US destroyer "asserted navigational rights and freedoms" near the atoll, “consistent with international law".

Photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a damaged Chinese ship beside a naval vessel after they accidentally collided while chasing a Philippine boat near Scarborough Shoal (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

The US navy has for years conducted voyages and overflights in the South China Sea to challenge China’s requirement for entry notifications across almost the entire expanse of the waters disputed with its rival neighbours, mainly the Philippines.

Such military operations have angered Beijing and its forces have had close encounters with US warships and aircraft in international waters and airspace.

China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea and some of its claims overlap with the demarcations of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Scarborough Shoal, called Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China, has emerged as a regular flashpoint between the two countries.

Photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a damaged Chinese ship beside a naval vessel after they accidentally collided while chasing a Philippine boat near Scarborough Shoal (Philippine Coast Guard)

The US sailed its warships after the Philippines released a video showing a Chinese ship chasing and firing water cannons at one of its vessels before ramming into a much larger Chinese ship after making a sudden turn.

China acknowledged the confrontation and accused the Philippines of “forcibly intruding” into its waters, but made no mention of the collision.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, a Philippine coast guard spokesman, said the Chinese coast guard "performed a risky manoeuvre" which led to "substantial damage" on the Chinese warship's forward deck, rendering it “unseaworthy”.

The US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday expressed alarm over the incident involving US and Chinese vessels.

It was the first such incident since 2022 when a Chinese warship confronted the American destroyer USS Benfold near the Paracel Islands.