Latest news with #USS_Higgins
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
2 U.S. warships deployed to disputed waters after Chinese ships collided
The United States deployed two warships Wednesday to a shoal in disputed waters in South China Sea, where two Chinese ships collided earlier in the week while chasing a smaller Philippine ship. The high-seas accident raised concerns about maritime safety and questions about the extent to which the U.S. should involve itself in longstanding tensions between those countries. 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 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 U.S. is also discussing the possible deployment of more missile launcher to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against tensions in the South China Sea's contested waters, as well as other security hotspots in Asia, Manila's ambassador to Washington told the Associated Press on Thursday. However, neither side has reached a final decision on the matter, said ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez. "This is part of the strong U.S. and Philippines defense partnership," Romualdez told AP. 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 from Scarborough. Video footage shared by Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela on social media showed a Chinese coast guard vessel tailing the Filipino patrol boat and blasting its water cannon before a Chinese navy warship cuts in front of it. Coast guard footage additionally show a number of Chinese personnel standing at the bow of the coast guard vessel just before that section was hit by the military ship. The Chinese coast guard vessel was damaged, Tarriela said. The Philippine coast guard spokesperson echoed comments from multiple leaders, who urged China to heed international rules that promote peaceful maritime relations, in the aftermath of the collision. China blamed Philippine vessels for the confrontation, with Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu telling the official state news agency Xinhua that Philippine vessels intruded into the disputed maritime area and disregarded China's repeated warnings. 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 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 above the small Philippine aircraft, Tarriela said.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
China's military says it ‘drove away' US destroyer near Scarborough Shoal
The Scarborough Shoal has been a major source of tension in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : China's military said today that it monitored and 'drove away' a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the strategic busy waterway of the South China Sea. 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' today. 'The US move seriously violated China's sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea,' it added, vowing to keep a 'high alert at all times'. The US Indo-Pacific Command and the US embassy in Beijing, the Chinese capital, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US regularly carries out 'freedom of navigation' operations in the South China Sea, challenging what it says are curbs on passage imposed by China and other claimants. The Scarborough Shoal has been a major source of tension in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 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 in the area. 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.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Chinese military ‘expels' US warship from disputed South China Sea waters
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". 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. 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.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
US warships patrol South China Sea after two Chinese ships collide
The US has briefly deployed two warships 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 (55km) from the Scarborough Shoal. There were no reports of any untoward incident, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine coastguard said, citing information from US officials and a Philippine surveillance flight. The US navy has for years staged what it calls freedom-of-navigation voyages and overflights in the South China Sea 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 US 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 north-western Philippines has been the scene of increasingly tense confrontations between the Chinese and Philippine coastguard, fishing and other ships in recent years. The Philippines, a former US colony, is Washington's oldest treaty ally in Asia. The US has repeatedly warned that it is 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 coastguard ship accidentally collided while trying to block and drive away a smaller Philippine coastguard ship, the BRP Suluan, about 10.5 nautical miles (19km) from Scarborough. Video footage made public by the Philippine coastguard show the Chinese coastguard 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 coastguard 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,' the Japanese ambassador to Manila, Endo Kazuya, said in a post on X. The Australian embassy in Manila expressed concern about '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 coastguard 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 500ft (150 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 maneuvers for about 20 minutes, including flying about 200ft above the small Philippine aircraft, Tarriela said.
NHK
6 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Philippines says coast guard plane approached dangerously by Chinese fighter jet
The Philippines' coast guard says a Chinese fighter jet came close to one of its aircraft over the country's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. The coast guard said the Chinese jet approached the Philippine plane, which was on patrol over areas around Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday to ensure the safety of fishing boats. The shoal is under China's effective control. Philippine officials said the Chinese jet flew around the plane for about 20 minutes and came within roughly 60 meters of it. They said the Chinese side harassed the coast guard aircraft and endangered its safety. The officials also said two US Navy vessels, including the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins, were navigating around the shoal at that time in line with international law. On Monday, two Chinese ships collided with each other in the waters while pursuing Philippine ships.
