China, US Clash Over Naval Incident Near Scarborough Shoal
China's navy tracked and warned off the USS Higgins, a US Navy destroyer, after it 'illegally intruded' into the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal without permission, the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said in a statement Wednesday.
'The US military's actions have seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty and security and severely undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea,' it added.
The US Navy rejected the Chinese claim, describing the operation as a lawful assertion of navigational rights. The mission was meant to challenge restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China and Taiwan, the Navy said. The Higgins exited what the US called the excessive maritime claim area upon completing the operation and continued routine operations in the South China Sea.
'China's statement about this mission is false,' US Seventh Fleet spokesperson Lieutenant Sarah Merrill said in an emailed response to a Bloomberg query. 'Nothing China says otherwise will deter us.'
The South China Sea has long been a lightning rod for tensions between the US and China. China's territorial claims to the waters overlap with those of neighboring nations including the Philippines, while the US regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations in the area — moves that often provoke Beijing.
On Monday, two Chinese vessels collided after one of them chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship near the Scarborough Shoal. Beijing blamed Manila for the incident without specifying the damage to its ship.
'The operations demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows — regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events,' Merrill added.
Despite the maritime tension, broader relations between the world's two largest economies have stabilized after both sides extended a trade truce for another 90 days into early November.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Chinese state media calls U.S. a 'surveillance empire' over trackers in chip shipments
The United States' practice of installing location trackers in chip shipments at risk of diversion to China reflects the "instincts of a surveillance empire," China's state-run media outlet Xinhua said in a commentary published on Friday. Reuters reported earlier this week that U.S. authorities had secretly placed location tracking devices in targeted shipments of advanced chips to detect diversions to China, which is under U.S. curbs for advanced chip exports. The Xinhua commentary, titled "America turns chip trade into a surveillance game," cited "reports" that Washington had embedded such trackers, accusing the United States of running "the world's most sprawling intelligence apparatus". The U.S. government has in the past few years tightened restrictions on the exports of advanced chips as well as related technology and equipments to China, as the two superpowers vie for technological dominance. The Chinese commentary follows longstanding accusations from Washington and its Western allies that China could use some exported products, from telecommunications equipment to vehicles, for surveillance, posing potential security risks. In 2022, the Biden administration banned the sale and import of new telecommunications equipment from several Chinese firms, including Huawei, citing national security concerns. In January, it intensified scrutiny by targeting China-made cars and trucks. In its commentary, Xinhua accused the U.S. government of seeing its trading partners as "rivals to be tripped up or taken down," adding that "if U.S. chips are seen as Trojan horses for surveillance, customers will look elsewhere." China's cyberspace watchdog last month said it had asked U.S. chipmaker Nvidia to explain whether its H20 chips had any backdoor security risks; a hidden method of bypassing normal authentication or security controls. Chinese authorities have also cautioned domestic tech firms over their use of H20 chips, Reuters recently reported.
Time of India
7 minutes ago
- Time of India
Oil settled nearly $1 lower as Trump-Putin talks loom
Oil prices closed down nearly $1 on Friday as traders awaited talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which could lead to an easing of the sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures settled 99 cents, or 1.5 per cent , lower at $65.85 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased $1.16, or 1.8 per cent , lower at $62.80. Trump arrived in Alaska on Friday for his summit with Putin after saying he wants to see a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine "today." Trump has said he believes Russia is prepared to end the war, but he has also threatened to impose secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if there is no progress with peace talks. Putin also arrived in Anchorage. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects the talks to bring results, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. "President Trump will likely threaten further tariff pressure on India and possibly China as far as oil imports from Russia if the meeting stalemates, which is keeping a nervous trade to crude," said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial. "If a ceasefire announcement is made, it will be taken as a negative to crude near-term," Kissler added. For the week, WTI dropped 1.7 per cent , while Brent eased 1.1 per cent . Weaker economic data from China, meanwhile, raised concerns over fuel demand. Chinese government data showed factory output growth slumped to an eight-month low and retail sales growth expanded at its slowest pace since December, weighing on sentiment despite stronger oil throughput in the world's second-largest crude user. Throughput at Chinese refineries rose 8.9 per cent year-on-year in July, but that was down from June levels, which were the highest since September 2023. Despite the increase, China's oil product exports last month were also up from a year ago, suggesting lower domestic fuel demand. Forecasts of a growing oil market surplus also weighed on sentiment, as did the prospect of higher-for-longer US interest rates. Oil rig count, an indicator of future supply, rose by one to 412 this week, Baker Hughes data showed. Bank of America analysts said on Thursday that they were widening their forecast for the oil market surplus, citing growing supplies from the OPEC+ producer group comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other allies. The analysts now project an average surplus of 890,000 barrels per day from July 2025 through June 2026. That forecast follows this week's International Energy Agency predictions saying the oil market looks "bloated" after the latest increases to OPEC+ output.
Mint
7 minutes ago
- Mint
How Russia, US, China and UK reported Trump-Putin Alaska summit: Putin's ‘dominance', ‘diplomatic gamble'
After the "historic" Alaska meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, most media outlets tried to capture the mood as the summit ended with no concrete deal on the Ukraine war. Trump said during a joint press conference that no deal was made to end the war in Ukraine, but he insisted that there was some progress. "We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said. Meanwhile, Putin, who expressed his willingness to end the three-year-long war with Ukraine, said the "root cause" of the conflict must be eliminated. He also suggested he could meet Trump next in Moscow. There was no hint on tri-lateral meet between Trump, Putin and Ukraine President Zelensky. Here's how top media outlets reported on Trump-Putin Alaska meet: While top headline in the US media outlet focused on "no deal" between Trump and Putin on Ukraine war, the Washington Post highlighted how the Alaska summit "began with red carpet, ended in early, sober exit." Emphasising on warm handshake and a military flyover, the Washington Post report read, 'Trump gave Putin a hero's welcome, but hours later, at their joint appearance, he was uncharacteristically terse and appeared deflated.' The report also analysed how Trump, who usually likes media attention, spoke for less than four minutes before he swiftly stepped off stage without taking questions from journalists. Credit: Washington Post Meanwhile, the New York Times reported, "Trump and Putin Put on a Show of Friendship but Come Away Without a Deal" — highlighting that "while no deal was announced, the Russian leader secured some wins and left on good terms with the US president." The NYT described the progress in talks, as mentioned by Trump in the press conference, as "unspecified," but noted 'a strikingly convivial reunion on American soil.' It called the Trump-Putin meeting "a major diplomatic gamble by Mr. Trump" and "seen as a victory for Mr. Putin, who has not been welcome in the West for years." It reported that 'the hurriedly arranged meeting was meant to break the logjam that has stymied Mr. Trump's peacemaking efforts since he returned to office six months ago with a promise to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.' Credit: NYT In Russia, state television gushed over the initial choreography. Unlike the US media, TASS, a Russian state media, didn't play up the change in tone of the two presidents before and after the meeting. When the meeting came to its abrupt end, Russian TV continued to play up Trump's warm welcome for Putin. The reports in TAAS mainly focused on "constructive" aspects of the talks and Trump hailing Alaska meet as "10 out of 10" affair. Chinese state media didn't seem to go big on Alaska summit. It placed one story on its website homepage titled "Trump, Putin hold joint press conference" — without giving any colour to the talks. Xinhua's new agency also had an article on the Trump-Putin meeting on its website that read, 'Trump says he had a very productive meeting with Putin, but no deal was reached.' Credit: Global Times The UK-based Guardian contended there was "no Ukraine ceasefire", but "a PR victory for Putin." It argued that the Alaska summit was "more notable for its choreography than its substance" – while referring to Trump-Putin's 'friendly' behaviour at the red carpet ahead of the crucial meeting. "This was a PR victory for a dominant Putin," the report analysed, claiming that the 'Russian leader gained far more cachet than his host.' The report further hinted at Putin's attempt to "underline his dominant role in proceedings," the mentioned that the Russian leader "ended the briefing by suggesting that their next meeting be held in Moscow – an invitation that slightly wrongfooted Trump." The UK media outlet also claimed that "Trump appears to have more in common with Putin than with Zelensky."
