China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced Tuesday that it had deployed forces to “track and monitor” the U.S. littoral combat ship USS Charleston, which, according to Beijing, entered waters near Sabina Reef in the Spratly Islands early Tuesday morning. The Philippines, for its part, has rejected the Chinese account as untrue.
According to the statement, the Charleston “illegally entered” the waters adjacent to the reef—known in China as Xianbin Jiao—without authorization from the Chinese government. The Navy command’s spokesperson, Yin Gang, defended China’s “indisputable sovereignty” over the archipelago and accused Washington of violating its rights and interests and of jeopardizing maritime security and regional stability. He demanded that the U.S. “immediately” cease these activities and stated that his forces remain on high alert.
Manila: “No one can require prior permission”
The Philippine military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, denied that the ship had entered Chinese territory. He stated that no nation has the authority to require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters. Hours earlier, he had called on China to cease its “coercive and aggressive actions,” without explicitly confirming the ship’s location.
The U.S. Navy had not responded to requests for comment when the news broke. According to Reuters, its last known freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea took place more than a year ago.
A reef at the center of the conflict
The Charleston is an Independence-class ship deployed in Southeast Asia as part of Destroyer Squadron 7, a Singapore-based command under the Seventh Fleet, according to the South China Morning Post. The reef, located about 145 kilometers northwest of the Philippine island of Palawan, has been a source of friction between Beijing and Manila since 2024. Last month, the Chinese and Philippine coast guards clashed in the area: Manila claims that a Chinese vessel rammed a Philippine boat that was on a resupply mission, while Beijing blames the Philippine side.
The incident comes shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Manila for an ASEAN meeting next month. The U.S., an ally of the Philippines, points out that its 1951 mutual defense treaty covers armed attacks against its forces and government vessels—including those of its coast guard—anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.
Another Standoff in the Pratas Islands
That same Tuesday, the Taiwan Coast Guard reported a confrontation with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel that entered restricted waters near the Pratas Islands, which are controlled by Taipei. The Taiwanese patrol boat Taichung was dispatched to deter it, and both sides exchanged radio messages. According to Taiwan, the Chinese vessel proclaimed that “the so-called Republic of China does not exist,” and the Taiwanese vessel responded that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. The standoff was still ongoing at the time this report was filed.
