Latest news with #USSHiggins
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Chinese military ‘warns off' US destroyer from vicinity of Scarborough Shoal
A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an incident involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area. The People's Liberation Army's Southern Theatre Command said on Wednesday that the USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, had 'illegally entered China's territorial waters around Huangyan Island [another name for Scarborough Shoal] without the approval of the Chinese government'.
The Diplomat
5 days ago
- General
- The Diplomat
Philippines Says Chinese Fighter Tailed Patrol Aircraft Over South China Sea
The incident comes days after two Chinese vessels collided, allegedly while pursuing a Philippine patrol ship in the vicinity of the contested Scarborough Shoal. A Chinese jet fighter 'intercepted' a Philippine aircraft during a patrol flight over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, the Philippines claimed, two days after two Chinese vessels collided while pursuing a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in the same area. In a press conference yesterday, PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said that a Cessna Caravan operated by the service was intercepted by a People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force J-15 fighter jet above the waters off Scarborough Shoal yesterday morning. Tarriela alleged that the Chinese fighter tailed the Cessna for about 20 minutes, at one point closing to within about 200 feet (60 meters) of the aircraft. 'It was not fixed at maintaining such a distance. Sometimes it transferred to the left side of the aircraft, sometimes it went above, sometimes to the right side,' he said, as per The Inquirer. 'The mere fact that the jet fighter was doing drastic maneuvering without following a safe path made it more dangerous.' A journalist for Reuters who was one of several journalists aboard the aircraft recalled watching 'as the Chinese fighter closed in on the small Cessna Caravan turboprop.' Scarborough Shoal, a triangular barrier of reefs about 120 nautical miles (222 kilometers) west of Luzon island, has long been a subject of dispute between China and the Philippines. Despite lying within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, the feature has been under Chinese control since a protracted stand-off between the two countries in 2012. It has been the subject of frequent incidents in the years since, most of them focusing on Chinese efforts to prevent Filipino fishermen from accessing the shoal. The PCG's Cessna was conducting a maritime domain awareness flight in the wake of the incident that took place on Monday, when two Chinese vessels collided with each other while allegedly trying to block a Philippine supply mission close to fishermen at Scarborough Shoal. While attempting a 'risky maneuver' to block a PCG vessel, a Chinese naval vessel collided with a China Coast Guard (CCG) patrol ship, the PCG later alleged. This left the latter with a caved-in bow, according to photographs and video taken from on board the PCG vessel. The Philippine Foreign Ministry later accused Beijing of 'dangerous maneuvers and unlawful interference' during the supply mission. During yesterday's flight, Tarriela said, the PCG observed four CCG vessels alongside six Chinese Maritime Militia boats situated close to the shoal. It also spotted two U.S. warships, the littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati and the destroyer USS Higgins, around 102 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales. In a later statement, the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command said that the USS Higgins had entered the waters 'without approval of the Chinese government' yesterday, and that it first monitored and then 'drove away' the vessel. 'The U.S. move seriously violated China's sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea,' it added. A subsequent statement from the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet described the Chinese statement as 'false,' saying that the Higgins was undertaking a freedom of navigation operation near Scarborough Shoal 'consistent with international law.' It is likely that the deployment of the J-15 fighter jet was a direct result of Monday's embarrassing collision close to Scarborough Shoal. As Collin Koh, of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, wrote on X yesterday, 'Beijing isn't expected to roll back. Instead, to claw back the 'face' lost, it'll likely step up its aggressive posture lest it signals weakness.' Sure enough, in an editorial yesterday, the Global Times struck a belligerent tone, describing the incident at Scarborough Shoal as a 'carefully planned provocation' by Manila. 'There is no doubt that should the Philippines persist in such provocative moves, it will inevitably face more targeted countermeasures from China,' it stated. The Global Times later released its own video purporting to show the PCG vessel conducting 'highly dangerous maneuvers,' but which appears to show it simply being pursued at high speed by the CCG patrol boat. After a relative lull in maritime incidents between China and the Philippines, it seems that we could be set for a new season of tension in the South China Sea.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'Severely undermined peace': Chinese ship confronts US destroyer in chilling face off in South China Sea
A chilling face off has taken place when Chinese warships confronted an American destroyer in disputed waters in the South China Sea on Wednesday. The Chinese military said it monitored and "drove away" a US destroyer sailing near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, while the US Navy said its action was in line with international law. The Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command said USS Higgins had entered waters 'without approval of the Chinese government' and they then 'expelled' the ship from the area. "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". The US Navy's Seventh Fleet responded to China's statement regarding the mission is 'false'. 'Higgins had asserted navigational rights and freedoms near the Scarborough Shoal consistent with international law,' the statement said. "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." The US regularly carries out 'freedom of navigation' operations in the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire South China Sea - overlapping the private economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Disputes over ownership of various islands have festered for years, with the Scarborough Shoal being a significant source of tension. The Shoal is a strategic conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. The incident was the first of its kind since 2022 when a PLA warship confronted US destroyer, the USS Benfold, near the Paracels – another disputed island in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, a Chinese navy ship collided with its own coast guard vessel while chasing a Philippine Patrol boat in the South China Sea on Monday. The Philippines' Coast Guard reported it was escorting boats distributing aid near the contested Scarborough Shoal when the incident occurred. Footage released by Manila shows the collision leaving the smaller Chinese boat severely damaged. The Australian embassy in Manila expressed concerned over the incident, saying in a statement the dangerous manoeuvres leading to the collision "highlights the need for de-escalation, restraint and respect for international law".
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
China and US trade barbs over destroyer passage near Scarborough Shoal, World News
BEIJING — The Chinese military said on Wednesday (Aug 13) it monitored and "drove away" a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal 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 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. In a statement, the Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command said the USS Higgins had entered the waters "without approval of the Chinese government" on Wednesday. "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 US$3 trillion (S$3.8 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 coast guard 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 coast guard 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 coast guard said it had taken "necessary measures" to expel Philippine vessels from the waters. 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. [[nid:721317]]
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
U.S. briefly deploys 2 warships to a disputed South China Sea shoal after Chinese collision
In this photo, provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, United States Navy USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) conduct freedom of navigation operations (FONOP) at the South China Sea on Aug. 13, 2025. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP) MANILA--The U.S. deployed two warships Wednesday in a disputed South China Sea shoal where two Chinese ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine ship in a high-seas accident that raised alarms about maritime safety. Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal and other outcroppings in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay overlapping claims in the contested waters. The USS Higgins, a guided missile destroyer, and USS Cincinnati, a littoral combat ship, were shadowed by a Chinese navy ship while sailing about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) from the Scarborough Shoal. There were no reports of any untoward incident, Philippine coast guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said, citing information from U.S. officials and a Philippine surveillance flight. The U.S. Navy has staged what it calls freedom-of-navigation voyages and overflights in the South China Sea for years to challenge China's restrictions and its demand for entry notifications in virtually the entire stretch of the disputed waters that it claims. That has angered China and its forces have had close runs-in with U.S. warships and aircraft on such patrols in international waters and airspace. The deployment happened after Washington's ambassador to Manila, MaryKay Carlson, on Tuesday condemned 'the latest reckless action by China directed against a Philippine vessel' in Scarborough. The rich fishing atoll off the northwestern Philippines has been the scene of increasingly tense confrontations between the Chinese and Philippine coast guard, fishing and other ships in recent years. The Philippines is the oldest treaty ally of the U.S. in Asia. Washington has repeatedly warned that it's obligated to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. On Monday, a Chinese navy destroyer and a Chinese coast guard ship accidentally collided while trying to block and drive away a smaller Philippine coast guard ship, the BRP Suluan, about 10.5 nautical miles (19 kilometers) from Scarborough. Video footages made public by the Philippine coast guard show the Chinese coast guard ship blasting its powerful water cannon and a number of Chinese personnel standing at the bow shortly before that section was hit by the fast-turning Chinese navy ship. Shortly after the collision, the video shows the heavily shattered bow of the Chinese coast guard ship without the Chinese personnel, who were standing on deck before the crash. The Chinese navy ship sustained deep dents and what appeared to be linear gushes on its hull. Japan, Australia and New Zealand expressed alarm on Wednesday over the dangerous maneuvers that led to the collision in the busy waters, a key global trade route. '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,' Japanese Ambassador to Manila Endo Kazuya said in a post on X. 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.' 'This is a learning experience for the People's Republic of China,' Tarriela, the Philippine coast guard commodore, told a news conference in Manila. 'For so many years, we have been reminding them to stop dangerous maneuvers, 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.' Tarriela spoke a few hours after a Chinese fighter jet flew as close as 500 feet (150 meters) to try to drive away a Philippine coast guard plane on a surveillance flight on Wednesday over the Scarborough with invited journalists on board. The Chinese jet carried out dangerous maneuvers for about 20 minutes, including flying about 200 feet (60 meters) above the small Philippine aircraft, Tarriela said.
