China and US clash over South China Sea operation near disputed shoal

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

The Chinese military says it "drove away" a US destroyer that sailed near a disputed area in the South China Sea, while the US Navy said its action was in line with international law.
The first known US military operation in at least six years within the Scarborough Shoal's waters came a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of "dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference" during a supply mission around the atoll.
Two Chinese ships collided while pursuing a Philippines vessel on Monday, prompting countries, including Australia, to criticise Beijing for its actions in the South China Sea.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command said the USS Higgins had entered the waters "without approval of the Chinese government".
"The US move seriously violated China's sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea," it added, vowing to maintain a "high alert at all times".
In response, the US Navy's Seventh Fleet said "China's statement about this mission is false", adding that the Higgins had "asserted navigational rights and freedoms" near the Scarborough Shoal "consistent with international law".
The operation reflected the US commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea, the Seventh Fleet told Reuters in an emailed statement.
"The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here. Nothing China says otherwise will deter us."
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Unresolved disputes have festered for years over ownership of various islands and features.
The US regularly carries out "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea, challenging what it says are curbs on innocent passage imposed by China and other claimants.
The Scarborough Shoal has been a major source of tension in what is a strategic conduit for more than $US3 trillion ($4.59 trillion) of annual ship-borne commerce.
The actions of Chinese vessels in the shoal this week also resulted in a collision of two of them, Manila said, the first such known incident in the area.
On Wednesday, the Philippine coastguard said the objective of the two Chinese vessels had been to "completely block" it from getting near Scarborough Shoal.
Global Times, a Chinese state media outlet, reported on Wednesday that a Philippine coastguard ship had "conducted highly dangerous manoeuvres on Chinese law enforcement vessels" near the Scarborough Shoal on Monday, citing videos it obtained from an unidentified source.
Neither the report nor the video clips published by Global Times showed the collision between Chinese vessels.
On Monday, China's coastguard said it had taken "necessary measures" to expel Philippine vessels from the waters.
Japan, Australia and New Zealand expressed alarm on Wednesday over the dangerous manoeuvrers that led to the collision.
The Australian Embassy in Manila expressed concern "by the dangerous and unprofessional conduct of Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal involving the Philippine Coast Guard," saying in a statement the incident "highlights the need for de-escalation, restraint and respect for international law".
Japanese Ambassador to Manila Endo Kazuya said in a post on X that Japan "upholds the rule of law and opposes any actions which increase tensions. Our concern goes to the repeated actions in the South China Sea".
Jay Tarriela, the Philippine coastguard commodore, told a news conference in Manila that the collision was "a learning experience for the People's Republic of China".
"For so many years, we have been reminding them to stop dangerous manoeuvrers, to stop risky blockings, to adhere to the (anti-)collision regulations because if there is a very high chance of miscalculation, this kind of collision incident would happen," Commodore Tarriela said.
He spoke a few hours after a Chinese jet fighter flew as close as 152 meters to try to drive away a Philippine coastguard plane on a surveillance flight on Wednesday over the Scarborough with invited journalists on board.
The Chinese jet carried out dangerous manoeuvrers for about 20 minutes, including flying about 61m above the small Philippine aircraft, the commodore said.
In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled there was no basis in international law for Beijing's claims, based on its historic maps. China does not recognise that decision, however.
ABC/wires